Background: It is unclear whether loneliness among cancer patients with minor children increased during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of severe loneliness among cancer patients with minor children during the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison with the pre-pandemic sample. Design: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted from December 2022 to January 2023. Setting/Subjects: Adult cancer patients whose youngest child was under 18 years of age and who were members of an online peer-support group in Japan were eligible. Measurements: Loneliness was measured using the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS). Associations between variables and severe loneliness (UCLA-LS score ≥50), as well as the prevalence of severe loneliness, were compared with those in a study conducted in 2019 using multivariable logistic regression. Results: A total of 233 patients of all types were included (83.3% female; mean age standard deviation, 45.4 5.8 years). The most common primary cancer type was breast (44.6%). The prevalence of severe loneliness was 37.3%. Factors associated with severe loneliness were Lubben Social Network Scale score (adjusted odds ratio aOR, 0.77; 95% confidence interval CI, 0.71–0.85; p < 0.001) and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale score (aOR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.11–1.32; p < 0.001). The prevalence of severe loneliness was not significantly different from the prevalence in the pre-pandemic sample (aOR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.73–1.96; p = 0.474). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic did not affect the prevalence of severe loneliness among cancer patients with minor children. Understanding their characteristics may help to identify protective factors against increased loneliness in future pandemics.
Kosugi et al. (Thu,) studied this question.