Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire – LSDQ
Measures children's feelings of loneliness, social adequacy, and subjective dissatisfaction with peer relations in the school context.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire – LSDQ was developed by Steven R. Asher, Valerie A. Wheeler (1985). It is designed to measure Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction. The scale is intended for use with Children (typically elementary school age).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 24 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction, Filler Items.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction | 1,3,4,6,8,9,10,12,14,16,17,18,20,21,22,24 | 16 |
| Filler Items | 2,5,7,11,13,15,19,23 | 8 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Always true, 2 = True most of the time, 3 = Sometimes true, 4 = Hardly ever true, 5 = Not at all true.
The scale includes 10 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 16 to 80. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Loneliness: 16 – 32
- Moderate Loneliness: 33 – 48
- High Loneliness: 49 – 80
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.90.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.