Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire – LSDQ
Measures children's feelings of loneliness, social adequacy, and social dissatisfaction within the school environment.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire – LSDQ was developed by Steven R. Asher, Valerie A. Wheeler (1983). It is designed to measure Loneliness and social dissatisfaction in school. The scale is intended for use with Children (typically elementary school, grades 3-6).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 24 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction, Filler (Hobbies and Interests).
| 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 (Hobbies and Interests) | 2,5,7,11,13,15,19,23 | 8 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not at all true, 2 = Hardly ever true, 3 = Sometimes true, 4 = True most of the time, 5 = Always true.
The scale includes 10 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
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 Cronbach's alpha of approximately 0.90 for the 16-item loneliness subscale.
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.