Testing whether a psychological questionnaire EIS actually measures feelings of aloneness

What is it about?

This research examined whether a questionnaire called the Existential Isolation Scale truly measures what it claims to measure. The scale is supposed to assess how deeply disconnected people feel from others and the world around them — a profound sense that nobody can truly understand their inner experience. We translated the scale and tested it with over 600 people, including psychology students, experts, and adults who had experienced major life changes. We discovered that while the questionnaire reliably measures something, it may only capture surface-level feelings about whether people share similar reactions and perspectives, rather than the deeper existential disconnection it was designed to measure. The scale didn't correlate with existential anxiety as expected, suggesting it might be measuring social similarity rather than profound isolation.

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Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash

Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Understanding and measuring existential isolation is crucial for mental health research and therapy. Many people struggle with feeling fundamentally alone in their experience of life, even when surrounded by others. If the tools psychologists use to measure this experience aren't capturing its true nature, it could affect both research findings and clinical practice. Our findings suggest researchers and therapists need better instruments to assess this deep form of isolation. This work helps ensure that when we study loneliness and isolation, we're actually measuring what we think we're measuring, which ultimately leads to better support for people experiencing these difficult feelings.

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