Purpose of the Questionnaire (Scale)

The CSS-45 scale was designed to assess individual differences in solitude among school-aged children (10–12 years old). Specifically, it measures the extent to which children seek solitude for creative, constructive, or beneficial purposes. It is primarily used in research contexts to understand children’s relationship with being alone.

Questionnaire (Scale) Analysis

The scale is self-reported and was developed by E. Galanaki, K. Mylonas, and P. Vogiatzoglou. It includes 45 items, rated on a five-point Likert scale (1 = Not at all to 5 = Very much).
It consists of four factors (subscales):
Reflection and Introspection (18 items)
Freedom from Criticism / Independence / Self-Expression (13 items)
Protection / Relaxation / Concentration (8 items)
Concentration / Performance (6 items)

Item Scoring

The total score is calculated by summing the responses to all 45 items, ranging from 45 to 225. A higher score indicates more frequent and diverse beneficial uses of solitude.

Statistical Analysis

Factor analysis (Varimax rotation) revealed four stable factors, explaining a total of 63.99% of the variance.
Detailed breakdown:
Factor 1: 36.97% of variance (reflection and introspection)
Factor 2: 12.44% of variance (independence and self-expression)
Factor 3: 7.31% of variance (relaxation and protection)
Factor 4: 6.99% of variance (concentration and performance)
Validity of the Questionnaire (Scale)
Validity was confirmed through:
Principal component analyses and multidimensional scaling
Correlations with other relevant psychometric scales and questionnaires
Test–retest reliability, with positive results (mean test–retest reliability coefficient = 0.76)
Reliability of the Questionnaire (Scale)
Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) by factor:
Factor 1: 0.87
Factor 2: 0.84
Factor 3: 0.76
Factor 4: 0.71
Overall, the scale demonstrates satisfactory reliability.

References

Galanaki, E. P. (2004). Are children able to distinguish among the concepts of aloneness, loneliness, and solitude? International Journal of Behavioural Development, 28, 435–443.
Galanaki, E. P. (2005). Solitude in the school: A neglected face of children’s development and education. Childhood Education, 81(3), 128–132.
Galanaki, E. P., Mylonas, K. L., & Vogiatzoglou, P. S. (2008, July). Children’s Solitude Scale: A new instrument for measuring beneficial aloneness in childhood. 20th Biennial Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development, University of Würzburg, Germany.