Abstract
Being hospitalized or undergoing a surgical procedure may be quite an isolating and lonely experience. This review explored loneliness in the hospital and surgical setting, and highlights the emotional and psychological challenges experienced by patients during their healthcare journey. While hospitals traditionally provide medical and surgical care for a wide array of conditions, the irony lies in their potential to disrupt one’s daily routines, contribute to loss of control, prolong hospital stays, and limit connections with family and loved ones leading to negative psychological well-being and intensifying feelings of loneliness. The implications of loneliness in the hospital and surgical contexts are discussed along with recommendations for improving the healthcare system’s response to the negative health consequences associated with loneliness. Coping strategies are discussed, including social support mechanisms, and approaches to healthy behaviors, i.e. mindfulness, which contribute to mitigating loneliness, in the context of hospitalizations and surgery.
Publisher
Heighten Science Publications Corporation
Reference74 articles.
1. 1. Perlman D, Peplau LA. Toward a social psychology of loneliness. Personal Relationships. 1981; 3: 31-56.
2. 2. Rokach A. The psychological journey to and from loneliness: Development, causes, and effects of social and emotional isolation. Cambridge, MA: Academic Press. 2019b.
3. 3. Surkalim DL, Luo M, Eres R, Gebel K, van Buskirk J, Bauman A, Ding D. The prevalence of loneliness across 113 countries: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2022 Feb 9;376:e067068. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2021-067068. PMID: 35140066; PMCID: PMC8826180.
4. 4. Rook KS, Charles ST. Close social ties and health in later life: Strengths and vulnerabilities. Am Psychol. 2017 Sep;72(6):567-577. doi: 10.1037/amp0000104. PMID: 28880103; PMCID: PMC5599123.
5. 5. World Health Organization. Hospitals. WHO. 2023. https://www.who.int/health-topics/hospitals#tab=tab_1