Loneliness and Social Isolation Subjective feelings of loneliness and social isolation were assessed using an adapted version of the 10-item UCLA Loneliness Scale [34]. Sample questions included ‘‘How often do you feel you cannot tolerate being so alone?’’; ‘‘How often do you find yourself waiting for people to call or write?’’; and ‘‘How often do you feel starved for company?’’ Responses were scored on a 4 point Likert scale from 1 (‘‘I never feel this way’’) to 4 (‘‘I often feel this way’’), with higher scores indicating increased loneliness and social isolation. The Cronbach’s alpha in the current sample