Measuring Social Engagement among Low-Income, Depressed Homebound Older Adults: Validation of the Social Engagement and Activities Questionnaire

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To investigate the psychometric properties of the 10-item Social Engagement and Activities Questionnaire (SEAQ) to assess social-group, interpersonal interaction, and solitary activities among low-income, depressed homebound older adults (n = 269).

Methods: We used principal component analysis (PCA) to evaluate the underlying dimensions of the 10-item full SEAQ and a 6-item abbreviated item set. We assessed evidence of validity for the SEAQ by examining relationships between the SEAQ and older adults’ clinical characteristics: perceived social support, disability, and depressive symptoms.

Results: PCA results showed two components: (1) a general social-group activities engagement component; and (2) a low level of socialization (i.e., strong negative coefficients on the recreational activities and self-enrichment/educational activities and a negative coefficient for interpersonal interaction activities). The general social-group activities engagement component in both the full and abbreviated SEAQ were significantly positively correlated with the full and abbreviated SEAQ and perceived social support, providing evidence for convergent validity, and they were significantly negatively correlated with disability and depressive symptoms, providing evidence for discriminant validity.

Conclusions: The present study provides evidence of validity for the use of the SEAQ to assess social engagement and activities among low-income, depressed homebound older adults.

Clinical Implications: The SEAQ may be used in future studies measuring changes in social engagement and activities in these older adults.

KEYWORDS:

• Homebound older adults
• social engagement
• social group activities
• depression
• principal component analysis
• validation

Clinical Implications

• The SEAQ can be used to better understand social engagement and activities among depressed, low-income homebound older adults, a growing segment of the aging population in both research projects and aging-service agencies.

• The SEAQ can be used in intervention planning to identify areas for increasing social engagement in older adults with disability and depression and evaluating intervention effectiveness.

• Further research is needed to examine the SEAQ’s potential as a valid assessment tool across a broad range of older adults who may be also at risk of social isolation.

Disclosure statement

No conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The parent study was funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (1R01MD009675; PI: N. Choi).