Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of a brief, hearing-specific outcome measure: the Social Isolation Measure (SIM).
Design: In Phase 1, adults with hearing loss were invited to complete an online survey that contained the SIM, a hearing-specific participation questionnaire, a generic activity and participation questionnaire, and a generic loneliness questionnaire. In Phase 2, the participants were asked to complete the SIM for a second time 2-3 weeks following Phase 1.
Study sample: One hundred and sixteen adults with hearing loss completed Phase 1. Ninety-five participants also completed Phase 2. Twenty-nine participants were excluded from the Phase 2 data analysis because they reported that their hearing had changed since Phase 1 or because they completed Phase 2 outside of the 2-3 week interval following Phase 1.
Results: In support of its construct validity, the SIM had a strong correlation with the hearing-specific questionnaire and moderate correlations with the generic questionnaires. The findings also supported the internal consistency, interpretability and test-retest reliability of the SIM.
Conclusions: The SIM was found to have strong psychometric properties. It could serve as a brief measure of perceived social isolation in research or clinical practice.
Keywords: Social isolation; adult aural rehabilitation; classical test theory; hearing loss; loneliness; outcome measurement; psychometric analysis; questionnaire validation; social participation.