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Positive Solitude Scale: Theoretical Background, Development and Validation

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Abstract

The current set of studies was aimed at examining the theoretical basis, development process, and psychometric properties of a new scale for measuring positive solitude (PS). The theoretical idea behind the development of this construct was to develop a stand-alone scale for measuring the positive aspects of an individual's ability to volitionally choose to spend time by him/herself. Using five different samples, we examined the face validity, exploratory/confirmatory factor analysis results, construct validity, and test–retest reliability of the new scale. The results were replicated across five studies, demonstrating a single factor for the 9-item PS scale which had good convergent and divergent validity and acceptable test–retest reliability. Overall, this new short scale has excellent psychometric properties. This scale may serve as a tool for further examining the phenomenon of PS, a concept that is under-developed in the psychological literature. PS can also be perceived as an important personal asset, when other personal resources may be depleted. A better understanding of the PS phenomenon may thus enhance development of interventions aimed at improving this ability. PS may be especially important for older adults, who sometimes face challenges with engaging in varied social activities and need to cope with more time alone.

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  1. Prof. 1 is a researcher in the field of social sciences, who is also is a clinical psychologist and an expert in the field of loneliness, and gerontology. (2). Prof. 2 is a researcher in the field of social sciences, who is a clinical psychologist with vast experience. He is an expert in social psychology and health psychology who also specializes in gerontology. (3). Doctor 3 is a researcher in the field of social sciences, and an expert in sociology, organizational psychology, loneliness, family life and couplehood. (4). Doctor 4 is a cognitive and clinical psychologist who both treats clients with loneliness as well as researching loneliness in older adults.

  2. The baseline goodness of fit measures were X2 = 67.806; DF = 27; Χ2/df = 2.51; CFI = .91; IFI = .91; SRMR = 0.06, RMSEA = .11. We therefore inspected the modification indices in order to improve model fit. This inspection showed that the largest improvement in model fit will result from correlating error term 1 to error term 4 (MI = 18.75). After correlating the error terms, the model fit greatly improved.

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Correspondence to Yuval Palgi.

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Appendix

Appendix

See Table 8.

Table 8 Descriptive statistics of students' ratings in step 3 (study 1) of the 34 items

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Palgi, Y., Segel-Karpas, D., Ost Mor, S. et al. Positive Solitude Scale: Theoretical Background, Development and Validation. J Happiness Stud 22, 3357–3384 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-021-00367-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-021-00367-4

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