The Relationship Between Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Narrative Review

There is clear evidence that loneliness and social isolation have profound health consequences. Documenting the associations of loneliness and social isolation with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) symptoms, disease severity, and treatment outcomes could meaningfully improve health and quality of li...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of behavioral medicine Vol. 58; no. 12; p. 779
Main Authors: Ross, Emily J, Shanahan, Mackenzie L, Joseph, Ellen, Reynolds, John M, Jimenez, Daniel E, Abreu, Maria T, Carrico, Adam W
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England 16.11.2024
Subjects:
Humans
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - psychology
Loneliness - psychology
Quality of Life - psychology
Social Isolation - psychology
Inflammatory bowel disease
Loneliness
Objective social isolation
Perceived social isolation
IBD outcomes
Social isolation
ISSN:1532-4796, 1532-4796
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Summary:There is clear evidence that loneliness and social isolation have profound health consequences. Documenting the associations of loneliness and social isolation with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) symptoms, disease severity, and treatment outcomes could meaningfully improve health and quality of life in patients with IBD. The purpose of this narrative review was to synthesize the empirical evidence on the associations of loneliness and social isolation with IBD symptoms, disease severity, and treatment outcomes. Articles were identified through systematic database searches. Quantitative studies that enrolled patients with IBD were included if they examined one of the following outcomes: (a) loneliness or social isolation or (b) IBD-related symptoms, disease severity, or treatment outcomes. We identified 1,816 articles after removing duplicates. Of the 18 studies that met the inclusion criteria, 15 were cross-sectional and 3 were longitudinal. Overall, studies found that loneliness was associated with greater disease activity, functional gastrointestinal symptoms, IBD illness stigma, depressive symptoms, daily IBD symptom burden, reduced resilience, and poorer quality of life. Social isolation was associated with higher prevalence of IBD hospitalizations, premature mortality, and depression. Findings suggest that loneliness and social isolation are associated with poorer health and quality of life in patients with IBD. Prospective cohort studies examining the biobehavioral mechanisms accounting for the associations of loneliness and social isolation with IBD-related outcomes are needed to guide the development of psychological interventions for individuals living with IBD.
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ISSN:1532-4796
1532-4796
DOI:10.1093/abm/kaae055