Exploring experiences of loneliness among stroke survivors living in the community: a secondary qualitative analysis

PURPOSE: To explore experiences of loneliness among community-dwelling stroke survivors through a secondary qualitative analysis. METHOD: A secondary analysis of a qualitative dataset was conducted, including 26 transcripts from semi-structured interviews that originally aimed to explore psychosocial experience after stroke. Data relevant to loneliness were finally extracted from 20 transcripts. Thematic analysis was adopted for data analysis. RESULTS: Three themes and six subthemes were identified: (1) Disconnection from social belonging, including difficulty in engaging in social activities and perceived sense of difference from others. (2) Lack of closeness to familiar people or loved ones, including decline in meaningful interactions or relationships with friends and family members, and lack of understanding and empathy from social networks. (3) Loss of direction, hope, and meaning, including perceived sense of learned helplessness, and diminished expectations and purposes in life. CONCLUSION: Loneliness after stroke is a complex experience. There is a clear need for designing tailored interventions to address loneliness following stroke. Addressing loneliness should be considered as a core issue of stroke recovery within both policy frameworks and practical guidelines. In addition, further research is needed to explore the pathways leading to social, emotional, and existential loneliness following stroke.