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Validation of the Malay Version of the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale
Author(s) -
Jaafar Mohamad Hasif,
VilliersTuthill Amanda,
Lim Min Ai,
Ragunathan Darshaini,
Morgan Karen
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
australasian journal on ageing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-6612
pISSN - 1440-6381
DOI - 10.1111/ajag.12672
Subject(s) - loneliness , ucla loneliness scale , cronbach's alpha , malay , clinical psychology , psychology , ethnic group , marital status , internal consistency , scale (ratio) , convergent validity , gerontology , demography , medicine , psychometrics , psychiatry , population , environmental health , geography , linguistics , philosophy , sociology , anthropology , cartography
Objective This study aims to determine the psychometric properties of the Bahasa Malaysia (BM) version of the 6‐item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS) among older adults in Malaysia. Methods A total of 200 participants aged 50 years and older completed the questionnaire in which 81 participants completed in BM. A subsample of 30 participants was retested after a period of 2 weeks. Results The DJGLS showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.71) and high test‐retest reliability ( r = 0.93). Convergent validity was demonstrated by moderate positive correlation between total DJGLS loneliness score and UCLA loneliness scale (ULS‐8) ( r = 0.56, n = 81, P < 0.001). Significant associations were found between loneliness and sex, ethnicity, geographic area and marital status. Conclusion The BM version of the 6‐item DJGLS is a reliable and valid loneliness measure for use among older adults in Malaysia.