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De ingekorte schaal voor algemene, emotionele en sociale eenzaamheid

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Tijdschrift voor Gerontologie en Geriatrie

A Shortened Scale for Overall, Emotional and Social Loneliness

Loneliness is an indicator of social well-being and pertains to the feeling of missing an intimate relationship (emotional loneliness) or missing a wider social network (social loneliness). The 11-item De Jong Gierveld scale has proved to be a valid and reliable measuring instrument for overall, emotional and social loneliness, although its length has sometimes rendered it difficult to use the scale in large surveys. In this study, we empirically tested a shortened version of the scale on data from two surveys (N = 9448). Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the specification of two latent factors. Congruent validity and the relationship with determinants (partner status, health) proved to be optimal. The 6-item De Jong Gierveld scale is a reliable and valid measuring instrument for overall, emotional and social loneliness, which is suitable for large surveys. Tijdschr Gerontol Geriat 2008; 39: 4-15

Samenvatting

Eenzaamheid wordt algemeen beschouwd als belangrijke indicator van sociaal welbevinden en betreft gevoelens verbonden aan het missen van een intieme relatie (emotionele eenzaamheid) en/of een tekort en gemis betreffende het bredere sociale netwerk (socialeenzaamheid). De 11-item De Jong Gierveld schaal is uitgebreid getoetst en daarvan is bewezen dat het een valide en betrouwbaar meetinstrument vormt voor eenzaamheid in het algemeen, maar ook voor emotionele en sociale eenzaamheid. De lengte van deze schaal vormde soms een bezwaar voor gebruik in grootschalige survey’s. In deze studie wordt de kwaliteit van een verkorte versie van deze schaal getoetst in nieuwe survey’s (N = 9448). Toetsende factoranalyses onderbouwen de twee latente factoren. Congruente validiteit en de samenhang met verschillende determinanten (partnerstatus, gezondheid) bleken optimaal te zijn. De 6-item De Jong Gierveld schaal kan in grootschalige survey’s worden ingezet als een betrouwbaar en valide meetinstrument voor emotionele en sociale eenzaamheid, alsook voor eenzaamheid in het algemeen.

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    J. de Jong Gierveld

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  1. J. de Jong Gierveld
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  2. T. van Tilburg
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Correspondence to J. de Jong Gierveld.

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Nederlands Interdisciplinair Demografisch Instituut (NIDI), Den Haag

Vrije Universiteit, Faculteit Sociale Wetenschappen, Amsterdam

Jenny de Jong Gierveld, Nederlands Interdisciplinair Demografisch Instituut, Postbus 11650, 2502 AR Den Haag

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de Jong Gierveld, J., van Tilburg, T. De ingekorte schaal voor algemene, emotionele en sociale eenzaamheid. GEEG 39, 4–15 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03078118

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