ArticleBMC psychiatry2018
The validity of proxy-based data on loneliness in suicide research: a case-control psychological autopsy study in rural China.
Article in BMC psychiatry, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Loneliness as an Interface Between Alzheimer's Disease and Suicidal Behaviour: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Meta-Analytic Factor Analysis.Psychogeriatrics : the official journal of the Japanese Psychogeriatric Society · 2026Pooled it
- Escalating loneliness among Chinese American older adults in an affordable housing community: a repeat cross-sectional study (2012-2025).Innovation in aging · 2026Article
- Migrant-Local Differences in the Relationship Between Oral Health, Social Support, and Loneliness Among Older Adults in Weifang, China: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2025Article
- The Insight Study: A Case-Control Psychological Autopsy Study Examining Factors Associated With Suicide in Middle-Aged People.Suicide & life-threatening behavior · 2025Article
- Brooding, reflection, and anger rumination in late life suicidal behavior.Journal of affective disorders · 2025Article
- The Impact of Stigma of Loneliness on Psychological Distress in Older Adults: The Chain Mediating Effect.Psychology research and behavior management · 2025Article
- Rural-urban differences in the association between home-based community care services satisfaction and mental health status among older adults in Zhejiang Province, China: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Measuring demand and supply of community care services for older people healthy ageing in rural Zhejiang Province.BMC geriatrics · 2022Article
- Systematic review of psychometric properties and cross-cultural adaptation of the University of California and Los Angeles loneliness scale in adults.Current psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.) · 2021Article
- Suicide in French Polynesia: a retrospective analysis based on medicolegal documents and interview with family.The Journal of international medical research · 2021Article
- Can Viewing Nature Through Windows Improve Isolated Living? A Pathway Analysis on Chinese Male Prisoners During the COVID-19 Epidemic.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
- Article
- Completed Suicide With Violent and Non-violent Methods by the Elderly in Rural China: A Psychological Autopsy Study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
- Gender and Age Differences in Loneliness: Evidence for People without and with Disabilities.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Proxy reliability of the 12-item world health organization disability assessment schedule II among adult patients with mental disorders.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2020Article
- Loneliness, hopelessness and suicide in later life: a case-control psychological autopsy study in rural China.Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences · 2020Article
- The case for case-control studies in the field of suicide prevention.Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThere 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.
methodsTwo 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).
resultsSubject-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.
conclusionsResults 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.
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