Summary
The Three Item Loneliness Scale (TILS) is a short scale ideally suited for studies in which many other questions are asked. This reduces fatigue of participants. It is based on the longer Revised UCLA scale.
Introduction
Loneliness means that people lack connection to other people. More formally, loneliness can be defined as "the exceedingly unpleasant and driving experience connected with inadequate discharge of need for human intimacy" (Sulivan, 1953, p.290). For a more recent review, see Ernst & Cacioppo (1999).
| Professor John Cacioppo is a leading figure in the study of loneliness and is a co-author in the TILS scale. An interesting interview with him can be found here in The Guardian newspaper. |
| Did you know that loneliness and shyness are related? Check also our shyness survey. |
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Legal stuff
It seems that the Three Item Scale of Loneliness (TILS) can be used for research, but you need to acknowledge the authors and their research paper when writing about it (Hughes et al., 2004).
Technically
This is a simple scale question with some reverse coded items.
The survey code for PsyToolkit
scale: tilsScale
- Hardly ever
- Some of the time
- Often
l: tils
t: scale tilsScale
o: buildup
q: The next questions are about how you feel about different aspects of your life. For each one, select how often you feel that way.
- How often do you feel that you lack companionship?
- How often do you feel left out?
- How often do you feel isolated from others?
l: scoreTils
t: set
- sum $tils
l: tilsFeedback
t: info
q: Your score on the Three Item Loneliness Scale is {$tils}
The lowest possible score is 3 points and the highest 9 points.
References
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Ernst, J.M. & Cacioppo, J.T. (1999). Lonely hearts: Psychological perspectives on loneliness. Applied & Preventative Psychology, 8 (1), 1-22.
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Hughes, M. E., Waite, L. J., Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2004). A short scale for measuring loneliness in large surveys: Results from two population-based studies. Research on Aging, 26(6), 655-672.
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Russell, D., Peplau, L. A., & Cutrona, C. E. (1980). The revised UCLA Loneliness Scale: concurrent and discriminant validity evidence. Journal of personality and social psychology, 39(3), 472.
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Sullivan, H. S. (1953). The interpersonal theory of psychiatry. New York: WW. Norton. (definition on p.260, as cited in Tharayil).