Loneliness and depression in patients with cancer during COVID-19

Gallagher, Stephen, Bennett, Kate Mary ORCID: 0000-0003-3164-6894 and Roper, Louise ORCID: 0000-0002-2918-7628 (2020) Loneliness and depression in patients with cancer during COVID-19. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOSOCIAL ONCOLOGY, 39 (3). pp. 445-451.

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Abstract

<h4>Purpose</h4>Feelings of loneliness are likely to exacerbate risk of depression in people living with cancer during COVID-19.<h4>Design and methods</h4>Five hundred and eighteen people with cancer with data extracted from two waves (2017-19 and April 2020) of the Understanding Society UK dataset participated.<h4>Findings</h4>An increased risk of depression was observed for cancer of the breast, prostate, blood, but not other cancers (e.g., lung, melanoma). After controlling for prior depression and other factors, it was loneliness during COVID-19, and not previous loneliness, that was predictive. Those currently lonely had a 4.5-fold increased risk of depression. These findings demonstrate that people living with cancer are at increased risk of developing depression during COVID-19, and that feelings of isolation help explain this risk.<h4>Implications</h4>These particular findings have implications for health promotion and intervention work and how best to support people who may feel lonely in this vulnerable group.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	cancer, COVID-19, depression, isolation, loneliness
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	06 Jan 2021 16:48
Last Modified:	18 Jan 2023 23:17
DOI:	10.1080/07347332.2020.1853653
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3110227