Brief Description

The RPLQ consists of 28 items that explore children’s experience of loneliness through the lens of their social and emotional relationships with peers and family. Based on Weiss’s theory of social needs, the questionnaire is designed to assess both the degree of integration into social groups and the intimacy with significant others. The items are structured around seven factors related to the adequacy and emotional quality of interpersonal relationships.

Purpose

The purpose of the questionnaire is to assess children’s loneliness in terms of how socially integrated and emotionally connected they feel within their peer groups and family relationships.

Scoring Method

Responses are rated on a five-point Likert scale. The 28 statements are scored based on the level of agreement, producing five subscales of loneliness: (a) overall level of loneliness, (b) peer group integration loneliness, (c) emotional peer loneliness, (d) family integration loneliness, and (e) emotional family loneliness. Each index is calculated by summing the relevant items.

Validity

The RPLQ demonstrates strong construct validity, as supported by both international and Greek literature. It has been shown to effectively differentiate between children with adequate versus limited social support and accurately reflects the experience of loneliness in peer and family relationships.

Reliability

The tool has high internal consistency and good test–retest reliability, as reported by Hayden (1989).

Data Analysis and Use

Data can be quantitatively analyzed by calculating means and standard deviations for each subscale. Statistical analysis may include comparative tests (e.g., t-tests, ANOVA) for groups of children with different social backgrounds or experiences of loneliness. The RPLQ is suitable for use in school psychological assessments, prevention programs targeting social isolation, and research applications.

References

Hayden, L. K. (1989). Children’s loneliness. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Terrell-Deutsch, B. (1999). The conceptualization and measurement of childhood loneliness. In R. J. Rotenberg & S. Hymel (Eds.), Loneliness in Childhood and Adolescence (pp. 11–33). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Weiss, R. (1973). Loneliness: The Experience of Emotional and Social Isolation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.