Psychometric Characteristics of the UCLA Loneliness Scale: A Study with Iranian College Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric characteristics of the revised UCLA Loneliness Scale in Iranian groups. The data for two groups of Iranian college students were analyzed. Group I consisted of 232 Iranian students (156 males, 76 females) who were studying in American universities. Group II comprised 305 Iranian students (168 males, 137 females) who were studying in Iranian universities. The obtained correlations between each item of the scale and the total score were mostly in the upper fifties and the lower sixties. The coefficient alpha estimates of reliability were .89 and .88 in Group I and Group II, respectively. Significant positive correlations were found between the scores of the UCLA Loneliness Scale and measures of other conceptually related variables such as depression, anxiety, and neuroticism. Also, negative correlations were observed between the Loneliness Scale on the one hand and measures of self-esteem and extroversion on the other hand. Factorial structure of the UCLA Loneliness Scale tended to support the multidimensionality of the scale. The obtained results provided evidence supporting the validity and reliability of the scale for Iranian college students.