Reliability and Validity of the Children's Loneliness Questionnaire.

Little research has focused on children's loneliness or on the relationships between children's loneliness and depression. Children are typically labeled as lonely by the external behaviors they may or may not exhibit, rather than by their perceptions of their social relationships. This study examined the Children's Loneliness Questionnaire (CLQ) for stability over time and construct-related evidence of validity. Children (n=279) in grades three through six, from two rural midwestern schools, completed both the CLQ and the Reynolds Child Depression Scale (RCDS) two times, 6 weeks apart. The 24-item CLQ consists of 16 primary items which focus on children's feelings of loneliness. The RCDS's 30 items describe each symptom of depression. Results indicate that the CLQ and RCDS are reliable sociometric measures for children over the age of 8. Large group administration procedures may have hindered younger children's responses on the CLQ. Concurrent-related evidence of validity of both instruments was reasonably high for children in grades four through six. For children in grades four through six, the test-retest reliability coefficients for the RCDS over a 6 to 7 week period was found to be lower than in previously reported research using shorter test-retest periods. (RJM)