Psychometric analysis of the Malay version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-8) and a comparison of loneliness among sojourning and non-sojourning Malaysian students

摘要

The UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS) is the most widely used scale for the measurement of loneliness, but no version currently exists for use among Malay-speaking populations.The present study reports on the translation and validation of a Malay version of the 8-item ULS (ULS-8) and conducts an initial comparison of loneliness among students. In Study 1, 532 individuals from community samples in Malaysia completed a Malay version of the ULS-8, which showed a unidimensional structure, good internal consistency, excellent test-retest reliability after 60 days and good convergent validity with measures of subjective happiness and shyness. In addition, there were no sex or ethnic differences in loneliness. Study 2 used the ULS-8 to measure the degree of loneliness among sojourning Malaysian students in Britain, who were compared with an agematched sample of students in Kuala Lumpur. Results showed that the sojourning students were significantly more lonely than their counterparts in Malaysia. The limitations of these studies are also discussed.