Comparing Loneliness Assessment Tools in a Veteran's Community

Abstract

Problem Statement: The current screening practices used in the Vet Center may not effectively capture veterans’ levels of loneliness. With increasing recognition of the impact of social and behavioral determinants on health outcomes, policy makers, payers, and professional organizations have called for health systems to improve their means of identifying and addressing health-related social needs (Russell et al., 2023). Purpose: The quality improvement project aims to compare the University of California, Los Angeles 3-Item Loneliness Scale (TILS) to the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS) item six, used to screen veterans. Methods: Veterans will be screened for loneliness using the TILS, alongside the SWEMWBS. The Vet Center uses item six of the SWEMWBS as a specific measure of loneliness. The QI will compare the effectiveness of the TILS and the SWEMWBS item-six to determine any differences in identifying loneliness. Results: The paired t-test showed a significant difference between the TILS and SWEMWBS, question 6, scores. TILS captured loneliness better, with higher scores compared to the SWEMWBS, question 6. The correlation between the TILS and SWEMWBS, question 6, scores was weak and not statistically significant, the screening tools may not be strongly related in measuring the same aspects of loneliness. The TILS and SWEMWBS, question 6, captured different dimensions of the loneliness.

Disciplines

Nursing | Psychiatric and Mental Health

Subject Area

Nursing; Mental health; Behavioral psychology

Department

Nursing (NUR)

First Advisor

Stager, Sharon

Second Advisor

Ritter, Rachel

Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

D.N.P.

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