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Loneliness (TILS)

Psychology: Personality1 sample item

About this scale

Loneliness means that people lack connection to other people. More formally, loneliness can be defined as "the exceedingly unpleasant and driving experience connected with inadequate discharge of need for human intimacy" (Sulivan, 1953, p.290). For a more recent review, see Ernst & Cacioppo (1999) .

Sample item(s)

“Survey code includes 7 item lines. Open PsyToolkit to review wording and permissions.”

Notes

Psychology field scale. Check the PsyToolkit page and original paper for use rights before fielding.

Source & citation

Ernst, J.M. & Cacioppo, J.T. (1999). Lonely hearts: Psychological perspectives on loneliness. Applied & Preventative Psychology, 8 (1) , 1-22. | Hughes, M. E., Waite, L. J., Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2004). A short scale for measuring loneliness in large surveys: Results from two population-based studies. Research on Aging, 26(6) , 655-672. | Russell, D., Peplau, L. A., & Cutrona, C. E. (1980). The revised UCLA Loneliness Scale: concurrent and discriminant validity evidence. Journal of personality and social psychology, 39(3) , 472. | Sullivan, H. S. (1953). The interpersonal theory of psychiatry . New York: WW. Norton. (definition on p.260, as cited in Tharayil).

An interesting interview with him can be found here in The Guardian newspaper

Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.

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