Evidências de validade da escala Brasileira de Solidão UCLA

Objective: This study investigated the validity evidence of Loneliness Scale UCLA to be used in the Brazilian population. Methods: It was followed the phases authorization of the author and the Ethics Committee, translation and back-translation, semantic adaptation and validation of the test. Data were analyzed by descriptive analysis, exploratory factor, alpha Chronbach, Kappa, sphericity test of Bartlett, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test and Pearson’s correlation. To semantic adaptation the scale was submitted to specialists and a focus group with 8 participants and to cross-cultural adaptation the scale was submitted to a pilot study with 126 participants. In the validation participated 818 people, between 20 and 87 years, who responded to two versions of UCLA, Patient Health Questionnaire, Social Support Scale and a questionnaire made by the authors. Results: The scale showed two factors, which explained 56% of variance and alpha of 0.94. Conclusions: Loneliness Scale UCLA-BR indicated evidence of discriminant and construct validity, as well as good reliability. It can be used for evaluation of loneliness in the Brazilian population.