Social Support Needed for Cancer Survivors Experiencing Loneliness
A study revealed that cancer survivors who feel lonely have a mortality risk more than 60% higher than those who do not feel lonely.
Cancer Survivors Face Higher Mortality Risk with Increased Loneliness…67% Higher Risk Compared to Those Feeling Less Lonely
On the 25th (local time), Jingxian Zhao, a researcher at the American Cancer Society (ACS), and the research team published results in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (JNCCN) tracking the correlation between the degree of loneliness and mortality risk among over 3,400 cancer survivors in the United States. In this study, the team measured self-perceived loneliness using the UCLA Loneliness Scale among 3,447 cancer survivors aged 50 and above who participated in the nationally representative panel survey of the Health and Retirement Study from 2008 to 2018, and tracked their survival status until 2020.
The researchers summed the scores of each item on the UCLA Loneliness Scale to calculate a total score and divided participants into four groups based on the total score (low/no loneliness, mild loneliness, moderate loneliness, severe loneliness). The results showed 1,402 participants (24.3%) in the 'low/no loneliness' group, 1,445 in the 'mild loneliness' group, 1,418 in the 'moderate loneliness' group, and 1,543 in the 'severe loneliness' group.
During a total follow-up period of 5,808 person-years (one person-year represents one person observed for one year), mortality risk analysis showed that survivors reporting higher loneliness had a greater risk of death compared to those reporting low or no loneliness. The more severe the loneliness felt, the higher the mortality risk. After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, the group experiencing the most loneliness had a 67% higher mortality risk compared to the group experiencing the least loneliness.
"Counseling and Community Support Needed for Lonely Cancer Survivors…Now Is the 'Golden Time'"
Researcher Zhao stated, "Cancer diagnosis and treatment can cause long-term adverse effects on health, negatively impacting social relationships of cancer survivors and inducing loneliness," adding, "Feeling isolated is one of the most common concerns among cancer survivors." He further explained, "It is necessary to screen cancer survivors who feel lonely and provide social support to those in need. Mental health counseling, community support, social network interventions, and integration of such programs into cancer treatment and survivorship care could be effective approaches."
Zhao also emphasized, "Currently, there are over 18 million cancer survivors in the United States, and this number is estimated to increase to 22 million by 2030. We must address this critical issue now."
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