The Impact of Cancer on Loneliness Among Cancer Patients

Abstract

Background: Advances in cancer treatment have produced a growing population living with cancer as a chronic condition, shifting attention toward the psychosocial dimensions of the illness. Loneliness — the subjective distress arising from a perceived deficit in one's social relationships — is associated with symptom burden, psychological morbidity, and mortality, yet remains under-examined in Indian oncology settings, where family-centred caregiving norms are often assumed to be protective.

Objective: To assess the level of loneliness among cancer patients and its association with selected demographic and clinical variables.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 cancer patients recruited consecutively from the oncology department of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. Loneliness was measured using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, Version 3, administered by structured interview alongside a sociodemographic and clinical proforma. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the chi-square test, with p < 0.05 considered significant.

Results: No participant scored in the low range. High loneliness was reported by 119 patients (59.5%) and moderate loneliness by 80 (40.0%), with one participant (0.5%) in the severe band; every participant therefore experienced at least moderate loneliness. Loneliness was significantly associated with age (p < 0.001), marital status (p = 0.014), religion (p < 0.001), and place of residence (p < 0.001), but not with gender, monthly income, smoking history, or treatment modality.

Conclusion: Loneliness was near-universal in this sample despite most patients being married and living within family households, indicating that the presence of family does not ensure emotional connectedness. Routine screening for loneliness should be embedded in oncology nursing assessment.