Existential loneliness and end-of-life care: a systematic review
- PMID: 20440564
- PMCID: PMC2866502
- DOI: 10.1007/s11017-010-9141-1
Existential loneliness and end-of-life care: a systematic review
Abstract
Patients with a life-threatening illness can be confronted with various types of loneliness, one of which is existential loneliness (EL). Since the experience of EL is extremely disruptive, the issue of EL is relevant for the practice of end-of-life care. Still, the literature on EL has generated little discussion and empirical substantiation and has never been systematically reviewed. In order to systematically review the literature, we (1) identified the existential loneliness literature; (2) established an organising framework for the review; (3) conducted a conceptual analysis of existential loneliness; and (4) discussed its relevance for end-of-life care. We found that the EL concept is profoundly unclear. Distinguishing between three dimensions of EL-as a condition, as an experience, and as a process of inner growth-leads to some conceptual clarification. Analysis of these dimensions on the basis of their respective key notions-everpresent, feeling, defence; death, awareness, difficult communication; and inner growth, giving meaning, authenticity-further clarifies the concept. Although none of the key notions are unambiguous, they may function as a starting point for the development of care strategies on EL at the end of life.
Similar articles
-
Existential loneliness: An attempt at an analysis of the concept and the phenomenon.Nurs Ethics. 2019 Aug;26(5):1310-1325. doi: 10.1177/0969733017748480. Epub 2018 Feb 22. Nurs Ethics. 2019. PMID: 29471724 Review.
-
Loneliness at end-of-life: A scoping review.J Clin Nurs. 2023 Sep;32(17-18):6179-6195. doi: 10.1111/jocn.16748. Epub 2023 May 6. J Clin Nurs. 2023. PMID: 37149735 Review.
-
Psychotherapeutic interventions at the end of life: a focus on meaning and spirituality.Can J Psychiatry. 2004 Jun;49(6):366-72. doi: 10.1177/070674370404900605. Can J Psychiatry. 2004. PMID: 15283531
-
Existential encounters: nurses' descriptions of critical incidents in end-of-life cancer care.Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2014 Dec;18(6):636-44. doi: 10.1016/j.ejon.2014.06.001. Epub 2014 Jul 1. Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2014. PMID: 24996512
-
Exploring Existential Loneliness Among Frail Older People as a Basis for an Intervention: Protocol for the Development Phase of the LONE Study.JMIR Res Protoc. 2019 Aug 14;8(8):e13607. doi: 10.2196/13607. JMIR Res Protoc. 2019. PMID: 31414663 Free PMC article.
Cited by
-
"My Scar": Posttraumatic Loneliness as a Source of Pain and Resource for Coping.Qual Health Res. 2024 Jun;34(7):649-661. doi: 10.1177/10497323241226599. Epub 2024 Jan 20. Qual Health Res. 2024. PMID: 38243742 Free PMC article.
-
"It's a feeling of complete disconnection": experiences of existential loneliness from youth to older adulthood.BMC Psychol. 2023 Nov 21;11(1):408. doi: 10.1186/s40359-023-01452-4. BMC Psychol. 2023. PMID: 37990348 Free PMC article.
-
Inpatient hospice admissions. Who is admitted and why: a mixed-method prospective study.Palliat Care Soc Pract. 2023 Jul 10;17:26323524231182724. doi: 10.1177/26323524231182724. eCollection 2023. Palliat Care Soc Pract. 2023. PMID: 37440785 Free PMC article.
-
Existential Loneliness Among Older People from the Perspective of Health Care Professionals: A European Multicenter Study.Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2023 Jun 20;16:2241-2252. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S408547. eCollection 2023. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2023. PMID: 37359147 Free PMC article.
-
Giving a voice to patients at high risk of dying in the intensive care unit: a multiple source approach.Intensive Care Med. 2023 Jul;49(7):808-819. doi: 10.1007/s00134-023-07112-w. Epub 2023 Jun 24. Intensive Care Med. 2023. PMID: 37354232
References
-
- Brown Robert, McKenna Hugh P. Conceptual analysis of loneliness in dying patients. International Journal of Palliative Nursing. 1999;5(2):90–97.
-
- Gaev DorothyM. The psychology of loneliness. Chicago: Adams Press; 1976.
-
- Rokach Ami, Matalon Raan, Safarov Artem, Bercovitch Michaela. The loneliness experience of the dying and those who care for them. Palliative and Supportive Care. 2007;5:153–159. - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources