Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015;8(Suppl 2):113-132.
doi: 10.2174/1874350101508010113. Epub 2015 May 15.

A Systematic Review of Loneliness and Common Chronic Physical Conditions in Adults

Trisha Petitte  1 , Jennifer Mallow  2 , Emily Barnes  1 , Ashley Petrone  3 , Taura Barr  4 , Laurie Theeke  2
Affiliations

A Systematic Review of Loneliness and Common Chronic Physical Conditions in Adults

Trisha Petitte et al. Open Psychol J. 2015.

Abstract

Loneliness is a prevalent and global problem for adult populations and has been linked to multiple chronic conditions in quantitative studies. This paper presents a systematic review of quantitative studies that examined the links between loneliness and common chronic conditions including: heart disease, hypertension, stroke, lung disease, and metabolic disorders. A comprehensive literature search process guided by the PRISMA statement led to the inclusion of 33 articles that measure loneliness in chronic illness populations. Loneliness is a significant biopsychosocial stressor that is prevalent in adults with heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and lung disease. The relationships among loneliness, obesity, and metabolic disorders are understudied but current research indicates that loneliness is associated with obesity and with psychological stress in obese persons. Limited interventions have demonstrated long-term effectiveness for reducing loneliness in adults with these same chronic conditions. Future longitudinal randomized trials that enhance knowledge of how diminishing loneliness can lead to improved health outcomes in persons with common chronic conditions would continue to build evidence to support the translation of findings to recommendations for clinical care.

Keywords: Chronic Condition; Loneliness; Systematic Review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors confirm that this article content has no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Literature search result:identification, exclusion, eligibility and included.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Theeke LA. Sociodemographic and health-related risks for loneliness and outcome differences by loneliness status in a sample of u.S. Older adults. Res Gerontol Nurs. 2010;3:113–25. - PubMed
    1. Steed L, Boldy D, Grenade L, Iredell H. The demographics of loneliness among older people in perth, western australia. Australas J Ageing. 2007;26:81–6.
    1. Portnoy E. Loneliness - a sourcebook of current theory, research and therapy - peplau, la, perlman, d. Gerontologist. 1983;23:329–30.
    1. Cacioppo JT, Hawkley LC, Thisted RA. Perceived social isolation makes me sad: 5-year cross-lagged analyses of loneliness and depressive symptomatology in the chicago health, aging, and social relations study. Psychol Aging. 2010;25:453–63. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bekhet AK, Zauszniewski JA. Mental health of elders in retirement communities: Is loneliness a key factor? Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2012;26:214–24. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources