Loneliness among cancer caregivers: The current state of the science.

Abstract

19 Background: A cancer diagnosis can profoundly affect both patients and their caregivers. Providing care to a loved one with cancer places demands on caregivers that may result in changes to caregivers’ daily routines and disruptions to their social relationships, which may contribute to feelings of loneliness. Though caregivers’ psychosocial challenges have been extensively examined, loneliness—a determinant of health—has not been well-studied in this population. In this narrative review, we described the current state of the science related to loneliness among cancer caregivers, methods to assess loneliness, and recommended strategies to mitigate loneliness in cancer caregivers. Methods: We used evidence from peer-reviewed articles listed in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases. Articles were reviewed for the following inclusion criteria: (1) published in English, (2) caregivers of cancer patients, (3) loneliness as a study variable, and (4) peer-reviewed with no restriction on timeframe of publication. Caregivers were defined as relatives, friends, or partners who provide most of the care for someone with cancer. Results: Eighteen studies met inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Caregivers’ experiences of loneliness can contribute to negative effects on a caregiver’s social, emotional, and physical well-being. Social support interventions may not be sufficient to address this problem. Existing recommendations to help address loneliness include cognitive and psychological reframing, one-on-one and group therapy, befriending, resilience training, and technology-based interventions. Conclusions: As a condition of growing importance, loneliness can lead to poor outcomes in social, emotional, and physical health when left unaddressed. Limited understanding regarding loneliness in cancer caregivers poses a two-fold problem that has the potential to impact patient and caregiver outcomes. Future efforts should include intervention development to address loneliness as a determinant of health in this unique population, especially given the pivotal role of caregivers in providing care and impacting health outcomes for people with cancer.