Cognitive and Situational Precipitants of Loneliness Among Patients With Cancer: A Qualitative Analysis.

Purpose/Objectives: To identify situations and thoughts that may precipitate or protect against loneliness experienced by patients with cancer. Research Approach: Qualitative. Setting: The hematology/oncology clinic at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, an outpatient oncolog...

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Publicado en:Oncology Nursing Forum Vol. 43; no. 2; pp. 156 - 164
Autores principales: Adams, Rebecca N., Mosher, Catherine E., Abonour, Rafat, Robertson, Michael J., Champion, Victoria L., Kroenke, Kurt
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Oncology Nursing Society Mar2016
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Mar2016
      vid: 43
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      pub: Oncology Nursing Society
      place: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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        atl: Cognitive and Situational Precipitants of Loneliness Among Patients With Cancer: A Qualitative Analysis.
      aug:
        au:
          Adams, Rebecca N.
          Mosher, Catherine E.
          Abonour, Rafat
          Robertson, Michael J.
          Champion, Victoria L.
          Kroenke, Kurt
        affil: doctoral student, Department of Psychology, Indiana University–Purdue University, Indianapolis
      sug:
        subj:
          Cancer Patients
          Loneliness Psychosocial Factors
          Multiple Myeloma Therapy
          Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin's Therapy
          Patient Attitudes
          Human
          Qualitative Studies
          Cancer Care Facilities
          Outpatient Service
          Indiana
          Purposive Sample
          Semi-Structured Interview
          Thematic Analysis
          Social Isolation
          Support, Psychosocial
          Record Review
          Audiorecording
          Descriptive Statistics
          Adult
          Middle Age
          Aged
          Educational Status
          Male
          Female
          Marital Status
          Data Analysis Software
          Psychological Theory
          Coding
          Funding Source
          Attitude to Illness
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Aged: 65+ years
          Male
          Female
      ab: Purpose/Objectives: To identify situations and thoughts that may precipitate or protect against loneliness experienced by patients with cancer. Research Approach: Qualitative. Setting: The hematology/oncology clinic at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, an outpatient oncology center in Indianapolis. Participants: Purposive sample of 15 patients undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Methodologic Approach: Individual, semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted. Theoretical thematic analysis was used to analyze interview data. Findings: Factors that appeared to precipitate loneliness included several situations (e.g., physical isolation, social constraints such as criticism) and thoughts (e.g., unmet expectations for visits or questions about health, belief that others do not understand their cancer experience). Several situations (e.g., social support, normal routine) and thoughts (e.g., beliefs that time alone is desirable and that others' discomfort with cancer-related discussions is normative) appeared to protect against loneliness. Certain social situations were loneliness-inducing for some patients and not for others, suggesting that patients' thoughts about their situations, rather than the situations themselves, have the greatest impact on their loneliness. Conclusions: The current study fills gaps in loneliness theory by identifying cancer-related situations and thoughts that patients associate with their loneliness. Consistent with theory, patients reported feeling lonely when they had negative thoughts about their social situations. Interpretation: Findings inform nursing assessment and intervention strategies to incorporate into care plans. For instance, when conducting assessments, nurses should be more attentive to patients' satisfaction with their social environment than actual characteristics of the environment. Normalizing patients' experiences and encouraging positive thoughts about others' behavior may reduce patients' loneliness.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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