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The Structure and Stability of Perceived Togetherness in Elderly People during a 5-Year Follow-Up

Riitta-Liisa Heikkinen

Esko Leskinen

University of Jyväskylä, Finland

The objective of this study was to study the structure andstability of perceived togetherness using cross-sectional and longitudinal confirmatory factor analysis models. Togetherness was measured with the self-administered Social Provision Scale (SPS). The sample consisted of 111 persons interviewed in connection with the Evergreen project’s 5-year follow-up at ages 80 and 85. One and two-factormodels were specified separately at two different pointsof measurement. The stability of the factor models’ structure and the level of latent factors was studied using longitudinal factor analysis models. The two-factor model fit the data better than the one-factor model. Perceived togetherness was differentiated into factors of emotional and social togetherness. The structure of perceived togetherness remainedunchanged during the 5-year follow-up. In terms of means, the latent factors showed a statistically highly significant decline in time (i.e. perceived togetherness decreased with increasing age).

Key Words: togetherness • loneliness • Social Provisions Scale • longitudinal factor analysis

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