Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Place Attachment for Community-Dwelling Older Adults Scale

This study developed the Place Attachment for Community-Dwelling Older Adults (PACOA) scale and evaluated its psychometric properties. The PACOA was developed through a qualitative study and expert panels. A pilot study confirmed the 19-item PACOA which included five factors (meaning of life, dependency, feeling “in place,” continuity, and social inclusion) were extracted. This model explained 60.803% of the variance. Cronbach’s α of the PACOA and its subscales were.853 and.670 to.863, respectively, whereas the correlations between the PACOA and its subscales were.580 to.725 (p <.01). The criterion validity and test–retest reliability were.678 (p <.01) and r =.654 (p <.01). Our findings suggest that the PACOA is an indicator of the emotional connection between older adults and their places of residence. Future studies should address the older adult–place fit, the future connection characteristics, and the influence of place attachment on older adults’ healthy lifestyle behaviors.