Abstract
Objectives
To (1) examine a measure of loneliness and its correlates in people with spinal cord
injury (SCI) to enhance our understanding of loneliness, which has received limited
scientific study in the context of SCI; and (2) conduct preliminary analyses of the
reliability and validity of the measure, including an evaluation of the unique impact
of loneliness on psychological health.
Design
Cross-sectional.
Setting
Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems.
Participants
People with SCI (N=175) participating in Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems follow-up
interviews at 1 study site between April 2014 and June 2015.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measure
The 3-item Loneliness Scale.
Results
Examination of individual items showed that approximately 40% of the sample reported
that they felt they lacked companionship, felt left out, and felt isolated from others
either some of the time or often. Mean scores in our sample were elevated compared
with published data on middle-aged and older adults. Results provided evidence of
internal consistency, comparable to that reported in the literature, and preliminary
evidence of convergent and divergent validity. Loneliness was related to psychological
health even after controlling for measures of demographics, disability, and social
integration, suggesting that loneliness captures more than just social isolation or
social integration in people with SCI.
Conclusions
Loneliness, which may be more common among people with SCI, is related to poorer psychological
health. Given the serious physical and psychological health consequences of loneliness
documented in the general literature, it is imperative that the experience of loneliness
among people with SCI be given serious and systematic attention in the literature
as well as in clinical practice.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
CHART-SF (Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique–Short Form), ES (effect size), HRS (Health and Retirement Study), PHQ-2 (Patient Health Questionnaire-2), SCI (spinal cord injury)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 10, 2016
Footnotes
Supported in part by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, U.S. Department of Education (grant no. H133N000009-01).
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
