An abbreviated form of the social and emotional loneliness scale for adults (SELSA)

In two independent studies of university undergraduates, the present investigation created and evaluated an abbreviated (15-item) version of the 37-item Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults (SELSA), a multidimensional instrument that assesses family, romantic, and social loneliness. In Study 1 (N=340), participants completed the SELSA; in Study 2 (N=211), participants completed the SELSA and five other loneliness inventories. Results showed that the three abbreviated SELSA subscales each (a) demonstrated very high internal consistency, (b) correlated very highly to the full respective subscales, and (c) correlated with theoretically related loneliness scales. In addition, both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesized 3-subscale factor solution. In sum, results showed that the abbreviated SELSA subscales represent a psychometrically reliable and valid alternative to the full inventory.