TITLE:
Surgery and Caregiving: Loneliness of the Patients and Those Who Care for Them
AUTHORS:
Ami Rokach, Yona Miller, Sharon Shick, Rachel Abu, Idit Matot
KEYWORDS:
Loneliness, Surgery, Patients, Caregivers, Hospitalization
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Medical Psychology,
Vol.3 No.3,
April
2,
2014
ABSTRACT: This research, conducted on patients and caregivers, examined the qualitative aspects of their loneliness. Patients were divided into those who were approached before they had surgery, and those post operatively. We collected information about their tumors, which were either benign or malignant. The patients’ loneliness was compared to their caregivers who were either intimate partners or “others”, i.e. family members and friends. The loneliness questionnaire, has already been extensively utilized in previous studies, and was used to explore the various aspects of loneliness of those groups. Significant differences in subscale scores were found in patients pre and post surgery, with those who have already had surgery scoring higher. Additionally, those who were cared for by a partner scored lower on the loneliness subscales than those attended to by “other”. Interestingly, the only significant difference in the caregiver group was between men and women, in line with the socialization process of the genders, which makes women more open and vocal about their feelings and needs.