SynthesisInternational journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being2023
Experiences of Loneliness Across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Studies.
Synthesis in International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed.
- Feasibility, acceptability, and outcomes: A pilot trial of the enhancing social function in older veterans with PTSD (ESVP) group intervention.Psychological services · 2026Trial
- "I just feel alone and by myself": how adolescents experience loneliness when their parent has cancer.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Toward a transdiagnostic modifier for clinically significant loneliness in psychiatry: a conceptual mini review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- "Being alone is no fun"- experiences with loneliness by older people: a qualitative study.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2025Article
- The Impact of Psychosocial Interventions on Older Adults in the Community Experiencing Social Isolation: An Integrative Review.International journal of mental health nursing · 2025Review
- Article
- The Chinese version of the stigma of loneliness scale in people with chronic diseases: an assessment of psychometric characteristics.BMC public health · 2025Article
- The mediating effects of sleep quality in the relationship between loneliness and depression among middle-aged and older adults.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Exploring child and youth understanding of loneliness through qualitative insights and evaluating loneliness measures considering those lived experiences.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2025Review
- Psychometric analysis of the social connectedness instrument.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Loneliness in Brazil: a silent threat to Public Health.Cadernos de saude publica · 2025Article
- The Impact of Stigma of Loneliness on Psychological Distress in Older Adults: The Chain Mediating Effect.Psychology research and behavior management · 2025Article
- Impact of the sense of power on loneliness among international students in China: the chain mediating role of perceived discrimination and loneliness stigma.BMC psychology · 2024Article
- Associations between adolescent perceived loneliness and hair cortisol concentration.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2024Article
- Qualitative exploration of the lived experiences of loneliness in later life to inform technology development.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2024Article
- Single-Item Assessment of Quality of Life: Associations with Well-Being, Mood, Health Correlates, and Lifestyle.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Facilitators to alleviate loneliness and social isolation as identified by individuals with spinal cord injuries and disorders: A qualitative study.Rehabilitation psychology · 2024Article
- A Case Study Investigating the Relational Well-Being of International Students at Hohai University Nanjing, Jiangsu Province of China.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Attributions of Loneliness-Life Story Interviews with Older Mental Health Service Users.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- "It's a feeling of complete disconnection": experiences of existential loneliness from youth to older adulthood.BMC psychology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeLoneliness is a fundamentally subjective experience that is common at various life stages. Studies have qualitatively explored loneliness, but a comprehensive overview is lacking. This research therefore provides a fine-grained review of studies on loneliness experiences across the lifespan.
methodsA systematic review and thematic synthesis were performed on studies that qualitatively investigated experiences of loneliness in people of any age from non-clinical populations. Sensitivity analysis assessed the impact of lower-quality studies and specific age groups on the findings.
resultsTwenty-nine studies of 1,321 participants aged between 7 and 103 were included. Fifteen descriptive themes and three overarching analytical themes were developed: (1) Loneliness is both psychological and contextual, (2) Loneliness centres on feelings of meaningful connection and painful disconnection, and (3) Loneliness can exist in a general, pervasive sense or can relate to specific other people or relationship types. Some features were particularly pertinent to children, younger adults, and older adults, respectively.
conclusionsLoneliness involves a primarily aversive psychological experience of perceived disconnection which is linked to physical, personal, and socio-political contexts and can be pervasive or relate to specific relationships or relationship types. An awareness of context, life stage, and personal experiences is essential to understand loneliness.
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