Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Validating the Persian Version of the Lubben Social Network Scale-18

  • Published:
Ageing International Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-18) is a widely used scale to assess social interactions and isolation among the older adults. The purpose of this study was to validate the Persian version of this scale. It was a methodological study aimed at validating the LSNS-18, and it is designed and implemented as follows. First, forward–backward translation was performed; then, content and face validity were assessed using qualitative methods. After initial reliability assessment, construct validity was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) among 230 older adults, and finally, secondary reliability was evaluated. Samples were selected from ** health centers using cluster sampling. The inclusion criteria were being older than 60, and the exclusion criteria were suffering from severe physical illness. The scale’s reliability was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha (0.82) and ICC = 0.85, at the optimum level. This scale’s construct validity showed a better fit with the three-factor model than the single-factor model. The Persian version of the LSNS-18 had acceptable validity and reliability in Persian-speaking community and can assess the ** older adults social isolation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahangari, M., Kamali, M., & Arjmand Hesabi, M. (2007). Quality of geriatric’s life in Tehran senile culture house clubs. Iranian Journal of Ageing, 2(1), 182–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayre, C., & Scally, A. J. (2014). Critical values for Lawshe’s content validity ratio: Revisiting the original methods of calculation. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 47(1), 79–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bakhtiyari, F., Foroughan, M., Fakhrzadeh, H., Nazari, N., Najafi, B., Alizadeh, M., et al. (2014). Validation of the persian version of Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT) in geriatric residents of Kahrizak charity foundation. Iranian Journal of Diabetes and Metabolism, 13(6), 487–494.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumgatner, T., & Chung, H. (2001). Confidence limits for intraclass reliability coefficient. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 5(3), 179–188. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327841MPEE0503_4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berkman, L. F. (1973). Social networks host resistance and mortality; a nine-year follow-up study of Alameda County residents. American Journal of Epidemiology, 109, 189–201. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112674

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berkman, L. F., & Glass, T. (2000). Social integration, social networks, social support, and health. Social Epidemiology, 1, 137–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(00)00065-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnette, D., & Myagmarjav, S. (2013). Translation and validation of the 18-item Lubben Social Network Scale with older adults in Mongolia. International Psychogeriatrics, 25(9), 1493–1502. https://doi.org/10.1017/S104161021300080X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cassel, J. (1976). The contribution of social epidemiology to host resistance. American Journal of Epidemiology, 104, 107–123. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crooks, V. C., Lubben, J., Petitti, D. B., Little, D., & Chiu, V. (2008). Social network, cognitive function, and dementia incidence among elderly women. American journal of public health, 98(7), 1221–1227.

  • Dalgard, O. S., & Håheim, L. L. (1998). Psychosocial risk factors and mortality: A prospective study with special focus on social support, social participation, and locus of control in Norway. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 52(8), 476–481. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.52.8.476

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dang, Y.-H., Liu, P., Ma, R., Chu, Z., Liu, Y.-P., Wang, J.-B., et al. (2015). HINT1 is involved in the behavioral abnormalities induced by social isolation rearing. Neuroscience Letters, 607, 40–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2015.08.026

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Devkota, R., Mishra, K., & Shrestha, S. (2019). Loneliness and Depression among Older People Living in a Community of Nepal. Journal of Nepal Health Research Council, 17(2), 185–192. https://doi.org/10.33314/jnhrc.v0i0.1561 

  • Findlay, R. A. (2003). Interventions to reduce social isolation amongst older people: Where is the evidence? Ageing & Society, 23(5), 647–658. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X03001296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Folstein, M. F., Robins, L. N., & Helzer, J. E. (1983). The mini-mental state examination. Archives of General Psychiatry, 40(7), 812–812. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1983.01790060110016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gierveld, J. D. J., & Tilburg, T. V. (2006). A 6-item scale for overall, emotional, and social loneliness: Confirmatory tests on survey data. Research on Aging, 28(5), 582–598.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glass, T. A., De Leon, C. F. M., Seeman, T. E., & Berkman, L. F. (1997). Beyond single indicators of social networks: A LISREL analysis of social ties among the geriatric. Social Science & Medicine, 44(10), 1503–1517. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(96)00270-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gray, J., Kim, J., Ciesla, J. R., & Yao, P. (2016). Rasch Analysis of the Lubben Social Network Scale–6 (LSNS-6). Journal of Applied Gerontology, 35(5), 508–528. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464814560468

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han, H.-R., Kim, M. T., & Weinert, C. (2002). The psychometric evaluation of Korean translation of the Personal Resource Questionnaire 85-Part 2. Nursing Research, 51(5), 309–316. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006199-200209000-00007

  • Hawkins, B. A. (2005). Aging well: toward a way of life for all people. Preventing Chronic Disease, 2(3). http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2005/jul/05_0018.htm

  • Heaney, C. A., & Israel, B. A. (2008). Social networks and social support. Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice, 4, 189–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., Baker, M., Harris, T., & Stephenson, D. (2015). Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: A meta-analytic review. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(2), 227–237. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691614568352

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hong, M., Casado, B. L., & Harrington, D. (2011). Validation of Korean versions of the Lubben social network scales in Korean Americans. Clinical Gerontologist, 34(4), 319–334. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2011.572534

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • House, J. (1988). landis Kr, Umberson D. Social Relationships and Health. Science, 241(4865), 540–545. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-200103000-00011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • House, J. S. (2001). Social isolation kills, but how and why? Psychosomatic Medicine, 63(2), 273–274. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-200103000-00011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kurimoto, A., Awata, S., Ohkubo, T., Tsubota-Utsugi, M., Asayama, K., & Takahashi, K., et al. (2011). Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the abbreviated Lubben Social Network Scale. Nihon Ronen Igakkai zasshi. Japanese Journal of Geriatrics, 48(2), 149–157. https://doi.org/10.3143/geriatrics.48.149

  • Lubben, J., Blozik, E., Gillmann, G., Iliffe, S., von Renteln Kruse, W., Beck, J. C., et al. (2006). Performance of an abbreviated version of the Lubben Social Network Scale among three European community-dwelling older adult populations. The Gerontologist, 46(4), 503–513. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/46.4.503

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lubben, J., & Gironda, M. (2003). Centrality of social ties to the health and well-being of older adults. Social Work and Health Care in an Aging Society, 319–350.

  • Lubben, J. E. (1988). Assessing social networks among older adults s. Family & Community Health: The Journal of Health Promotion & Maintenance.

  • McMichael, C., & Manderson, L. (2004). Somali women and well-being: Social networks and social capital among immigrant women in Australia. Human organization, 88–99. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/44126994

  • Mick, P., Parfyonov, M., Wittich, W., Phillips, N., & Pichora-Fuller, M. K. (2018). Associations between sensory loss and social networks, participation, support, and loneliness: Analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Canadian Family Physician, 64(1), e33–e41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mistry, R., Rosansky, J., McGuire, J., McDermott, C., & Jarvik, L. (2001). Social isolation predicts re-hospitalization in a group of older American veterans enrolled in the UPBEAT Program. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 16(10), 950–959. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.447

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moorer, P., & Suurmeijer, T. P. (1993). Unidimensionality and cumulativeness of the loneliness scale using Mokken scale analysis for polychotomous items. Psychological Reports, 73(3_suppl), 1324–1326. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1993.73.3f.1324

  • Munro, B. H. (2005). Statistical methods for health care research (Vol. 1): lippincott williams & wilkins.

  • Noroozian, M. (2012). The older adults in iran: An ever growing concern in the health system. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 6(2), 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Polit, D. F., Beck, C. T., & Owen, S. V. (2007). Is the CVI an acceptable indicator of content validity? Appraisal and recommendations. Research in Nursing & Health, 30(4), 459–467. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ribeiro, O., Teixeira, L., Duarte, N., Azevedo, M. J., Araújo, L., & Barbosa, S., et al. (2012). Versão portuguesa da escala breve de redes sociais de Lubben (LSNS-6). Revista Kairós: Gerontologia, 15(Especial11), 217–234. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.19/3430.

  • Rico-Uribe, L. A., Caballero, F. F., Martín-María, N., Cabello, M., Ayuso-Mateos, J. L., & Miret, M. (2018). Association of loneliness with all-cause mortality: A meta-analysis. PloS One, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0190033

  • Rutledge, T., Matthews, K., Lui, L.-Y., Stone, K. L., & Cauley, J. A. (2003). Social networks and marital status predict mortality in older women: Prospective evidence from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF). Psychosomatic Medicine, 65(4), 688–694. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.PSY.0000041470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sansoni, J., Marosszeky, N., Sansoni, E., & Fleming, G. (2010). Effective assessment of social isolation. http://ro.uow.edu.au/ahsri/465

  • Seeman, T. E., Singer, B. H., Ryff, C. D., Love, G. D., & Levy-Storms, L. (2002). Social relationships, gender, and allostatic load across two age cohorts. Psychosomatic Medicine, 64(3), 395–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stuck, A. E., Egger, M., Hammer, A., Minder, C. E., & Beck, J. C. (2002). Home visits to prevent nursing home admission and functional decline in geriatric people: Systematic review and meta-regression analysis. JAMA, 287(8), 1022–1028. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.287.8.1022

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tracy, E. M., & Whittaker, J. K. (1990). The social network map: Assessing social support in clinical practice. Families in Society, 71(8), 461–470.

  • Van Baarsen, B., Snijders, T. A., Smit, J. H., & Van Duijn, M. A. (2001). Lonely but not alone: Emotional isolation and social isolation as two distinct dimensions of loneliness in older people. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 61(1), 119–135. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131640121971103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaux, A., Phillips, J., Holly, L., Thomson, B., Williams, D., & Stewart, D. (1986). The social support appraisals (SS-A) scale: Studies of reliability and validity. American Journal of Community Psychology, 14(2), 195–218. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00911821

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wenger, G. C. (1996). Social networks and gerontology. Reviews in Clinical Gerontology, 6(3), 285–293. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959259800004780

  • World Health Organization. (2002). Active ageing: a policy framework. A contribution of the World Health Organization to the Second United Nations World Assembly on Ageing, Madrid, Spain, April 2002. accessed WHO/NMH/NPH/02.8/

  • World Health Organization. (2018). deafness and hearing loss, 2 March 2018. Available online at: WHO fact sheet on deafness and hearing loss.

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was extracted from a master thesis in nursing, which was conducted at Shahroud University of Medical Sciences. This research was approved by this university under the code 9799. The authors thank the elderly people who helped us in this research.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing & Midwifery, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran

    Roghayeh Eslami & Mahboobeh Khajeh

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran

    Ahmad Khosravi

  3. Randomized Controlled Trial Research Center, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran

    Hossein Ebrahimi

Authors
  1. Roghayeh Eslami
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mahboobeh Khajeh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ahmad Khosravi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hossein Ebrahimi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Participated in study conception, study design and drafting the article: [Roghayeh Eslami], Participated in study design and drafting the article: [Mahboobeh Khajeh], Participated in acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data and drafting the article: [Ahmad Khosravi] and Participated in study conception, study design and drafting the article: [Hossein Ebrahimi]. The first draft of the manuscript was written by [Roghayeh Eslami] and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hossein Ebrahimi.

Ethics declarations

Consent to Participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Ethics Approval

In order to adhere to the ethical principles, the purpose of the research and confidentiality of information was explained to the participants and informed written consent was obtained from them. The study was approved by the ethics council of the Shahroud University of medical sciences with code of ethics IR.SHMU.REC.1397.078.

Conflict of Interests

All authors declare no conflict of interest.

Informed Consent

None

Ethical Treatment of Experimental Subjects (Animals and Humans)

No experimental treatment was conducted on either human or animal subjects in this study.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Eslami, R., Khajeh, M., Khosravi, A. et al. Validating the Persian Version of the Lubben Social Network Scale-18. Ageing Int 48, 384–399 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-021-09477-z

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-021-09477-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation