lonelyr

Scoring functions for common loneliness scales, with the response keys and reverse-scoring taken from each scale's original manual. The point is to stop reverse-coding and reporter errors. Every key is verified against source's manual, out-of-range responses raise a warning, and missing-data rules follow each scale's manual.

Scales

Key	Scale	Source
ucla20	UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3 (20-item)	Russell (1996)
ucla3 / tils	Three-Item Loneliness Scale	Hughes et al. (2004)
djg11	De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (11-item)	de Jong Gierveld & Van Tilburg (1999)
djg6	De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (6-item)	de Jong Gierveld & Van Tilburg (2006)
lsdq	Children's Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Scale	Asher, Hymel, & Renshaw (1984)
selsa_s	Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults, Short	DiTommaso, Brannen, & Best (2004)

Install

# install.packages("remotes")
remotes::install_github("nsbyrd/lonelyr")
library(lonelyr)

Use

Pass the item columns in scale order. The dispatcher reads the key from the registry and returns a data frame of scores.

library(lonelyr)
# UCLA-20: reverse items handled internally
score_loneliness(df, ucla_items, "ucla20")
# de Jong scales need the "more or less" code: 2 on a 3-point coding,
# 3 on a 5-point coding
score_loneliness(df, djg_items, "djg11", neutral = 2, bands = TRUE)
# SELSA-S returns social, family, romantic, and combined emotional means
score_loneliness(df, selsa_items, "selsa_s")

Each engine is also callable directly (score_likert, score_djg, score_lsdq, score_selsa_s) if you want to override.

Scoring notes

• UCLA-20 reverses items 1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 15, 16, 19, 20 on a 1-4 metric; total range 20-80.
• De Jong scales dichotomize: "more or less" always counts toward loneliness. One missing item scores 0, two or more return NA. bands = TRUE adds the manual's tentative 11-item severity categories.
• LSDQ drops the eight filler items (2, 5, 7, 11, 13, 15, 19, 23) and reverse-keys the six competence items (1, 4, 8, 10, 16, 22) so higher means more lonely.
• SELSA-S reverses items 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15 (8 minus score) and returns subscale means on the 1-7 metric.