The validity of proxy-based data on loneliness in suicide research: a case-control psychological autopsy study in rural China

BMC Psychiatry

Zhenyu Ma¹  Cunxian Jia²  Lu Niu³  Liang Zhou³  Guojun Wang⁴  Zhenjun Yu⁴ 

[1] School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University;School of Public Health, Shandong University;The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital);Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University;

关键词: Loneliness;    Psychometric properties;    Psychological autopsy;    Chinese rural elderly;    Suicide;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12888-018-1687-x

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Background There is a lack of evidence for the role of loneliness on suicide using psychological autopsy method, and the validity of proxy informants’ reports on loneliness is not well established. This study aimed to investigate the validity of proxy respondent reports on loneliness, and the reliability and validity of the University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale-6 (ULS-6) as used in psychological autopsy method with rural elderly people in China. Methods Two hundred forty-two suicide cases and 242 normal community controls were selected, and the psychological autopsy method was utilized to collect information. Data from proxy respondents of the living controls were compared with data reported by the targets (gold standards). Results Subject-proxy concordance for ULS-6 was fair (ICC = 0.447) in the living controls. The suicide cases were more likely to have a higher score of ULS-6 than the living controls. Additionally, our data supported that ULS-6 had adequate psychometric properties in both suicide and control groups: factor analyses yielded one-factor component solution; Cronbach’s alpha (both > 0.90) demonstrated excellent internal consistency; the Spearman correlation analysis indicated that the ULS-6 score was positively correlated with depression; and negatively correlated with QOL and social support. Conclusions Results support proxy-based data on loneliness in research of suicide in older adults in rural China, and the ULS-6 is a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring loneliness in psychological autopsy studies.

【 授权许可】

Unknown