Table 1.

Correlation between loneliness scale and selected variables

Variables (score range)	Coefficients	P‐values
Scale item 1: How often do you feel that you lack companionship? (1–3)	0.85†	<0.001
Scale item 2: How often do you feel left out? (1–3)	0.89†	<0.001
Scale item 3: How often do you feel isolated from others? (1–3)	0.89†	<0.001
Geriatric Depression Scale (0–15)	0.58‡	<0.001
Self‐rated health (1–4)	−0.29‡	<0.001
Emotional support (received) (0–1)	−0.29‡	<0.001
Emotional support (provided) (0–1)	−0.22‡	<0.001
Instrumental support (received) (0–1)	−0.20‡	<0.001
Instrumental support (provided) (0–1)	−0.23‡	<0.001
Living alone (0–1)	−0.03‡	0.494
Monthly face‐to‐face contact with children and relatives (0–1)	−0.02‡	0.608
Monthly non‐face‐to‐face contact with children and relatives (0–1)§	−0.15‡	0.001
Monthly face‐to‐face contact with friends (0–1)	−0.28‡	<0.001
Monthly non‐face‐to‐face contact with friends (0–1)§	−0.30‡	<0.001

^† Pearson's correlation coefficients show item‐total correlations of the three‐item loneliness scale.

^‡ Spearman's correlation coefficients, used following the previous validation study,4 show the associations between the three‐item loneliness scale and related variables.

^§ Non‐face‐to‐face contacts are those carried out by phone, letter, email and so on.