UCLA 3-Item Loneliness Scale: Translation and validation in Greek

Background: Loneliness is described as the unpleasant feeling that arises when a person's social connections are lacking in some significant way, either in quantity or quality. Aim: To translate and validate the UCLA 3-Item Loneliness Scale (UCLA LS-3) in the Greek language. Methods: We employed the forward-backward method to translate and adapt the UCLA LS-3 in Greek language. In particular, two scholars translated the English version of the UCLA LS-3 in Greek, and then two other scholars back translated the Greek version in English. Another scholar overviewed the translation procedure solving any discrepancies. We examined the reliability of the UCLA LS-3 by calculating Cronbach’s alpha. Also, we performed a test-retest study to examine the reliability of the UCLA LS-3 by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient. We examined the construct validity of the UCLA LS-3 by performing confirmatory factor analysis. We examined the concurrent validity of the UCLA LS-3 using the TikTok Addiction Scale (TTAS). Results: We found that the UCLA LS-3 had very good reliability since intraclass correlation coefficient for the test-retest was 0.976 (95% confidence interval = 0.969 to 0.982, p<0.001). Moreover, Cronbach’s coefficient alpha for the UCLA LS-3 was 0.89. We found that the Greek version of the UCLA LS-3 had a one-factor structure as the original version. All indices indicated an acceptable one-factor model. In particular, x2/df was 0.0, RMSEA was 0.0, GFI was 1.0, AGFI was 1.0, TLI was 1.0, IFI was 1.0, NFI was 1.0, and CFI was 1.0. Concurrent validity of the Greek version of the UCLA LS-3 was very good since we found statistically significant correlation between the UCLA LS-3 and the TTAS (r = 0.252, p<0.001). Conclusion: The Greek version of the UCLA 3-Item Loneliness Scale is a reliable and valid tool to measure levels of loneliness in the general population.