Social Isolation

Maria M.Gomez
Clara Perez
Thomas Wieczenski
Natalie Delia
Lisa Lamperti

Definition

The experience of being separated from others.

It may result from being physically removed
from others, or it can result from the perception
of being removed from a community.

Carpentino-Moyer (2008) defined social

isolation as a state in which a person or group
experience a need or desire for increased
involvement with others but is unable to make
that contact.

Solitude, is simply the state of being alone,

usually by choice. This can be a healthy,
rejuvenating experience that allows us to
reconnect to needs, goals, beliefs, values.

Theories

Accordant to Orem, it is important of having

agency to engage in the community, to have
mutually satisfying relationships, and to have
the ability to communicate interpersonally with
others.

Peplau, mother of psychiatric nursing, believed

that interpersonal relationships and
connectedness with others are essential
throughout an individuals life.

Social isolation may be indicated when a persons

avoidance of social interaction:

persist for an extended period of time

Is a result of depression, shame, or low self-worth

Is associated with abandonment fears or social anxiety

Proves detrimental to important social or professional

relationships.

Causes of Isolation
1. Emotional Problems
2. Personality disorders
3. Secrecy
4. Certain diseases
5. Social withdrawal due to embarrassment.

Emotional problems
Psychological disorders
Alcoholism
Depression
Depressive disorders
Dysthymia

Personality Disorders
Anti-social Personality Disorder
Avoidant Personality Disorder
Paranoid personality disorder
Schizophrenia

Secrecy

Eating disorders

Anorexia nervosa

Bulimia nervosa

Drug abuse.

Gaming addiction

Certain diseases:

Fatigue

Encephalitis

Classic childhood ALD

Alzheimer Disease

Social withdrawal due

to embarrassment

Incontinence

Cystitis

Fecal incontinence

Psoriasis

Therapy

Can help address the emotional and

psychological issues that lead to isolation
behaviors

Can help a person develop social skills and

learn to manage symptoms.

Provide the opportunity to establish trust with

and experience the emotional support of
another person, helping to live a less isolated
existence.

Social provision and loneliness among older

people suffering from chronic physical illness. A
mixed- methods approach
loneliness is to be without others, while there is loneliness
with others.

Meaning- being lonely without someone or feelings of isolation

and socially lonely even around a group of people.

Argues that loneliness is a human trait, in which certain

individuals are more vulnerable in developing feelings of
loneliness than others in response to environmental triggers.

Chronic illness is characterized by a general decrease of

physical mobility, functional impairment and dependency on
others , creating a greater risk of feelings of loneliness due
to their condition.

The question: How do hospitalized older patients

suffering from chronic illness perceive loneliness?

Criteria- 65+ who are suffering from one or more

chronic illnesses whom are able to hear and write,
with no psychosis, alcoholism, no recent strokes, no
loss of spouse or children during the past 6 months
and no PTSD.

Interviewed questions such as: Have you ever felt

lonely? If so, can you describe the feeling.

The purpose as to explore the meaning of the

content of loneliness.

Based on 101 eligible participants the results are as

follows:

The meaning of loneliness- overall, loneliness was a state

dominated by emptiness and negative emotions. Some
participants expressed that feelings of loneliness has a
potential for growth.

Emotions included: sadness, anxiety, restless, anger and guilt.

Social relationships: feelings of being left out, being confined,

feeling useless.

Emotional dimensions: describes their days as empty,

passing by, boredom, slow and meaningless & awful

Conclusion/ what can we do?

Showed that 75.3% of those admitted to the

hospital felt lonely.
Important to assess loneliness during hospital stay
and providing social support.

Prisoner of Pain
by Greg Lum

Chronic pain began due to a car accident. The pain had spread from the
lower back to mid back and other various parts of the body. Tests were
taken to find the cause of these various pains.

Describes how he is tried of being tired sore of being sore and tired of
being in pain.

I am ill because of my pain.

Being in pain is to be constantly reminded that you are alive and

trapped in your body.

Feelings of hopeless and loneliness that he is in constant pain and

others around him dont share the same feeling.

I have been in pain for so long, that I have lost any idea of what it
means to be or feel normal, namely, without pain.

References:

Linz, S. & Sturm, B., (2013). Perspectives in psychiatric care. The

Phenomenon of social isolation in the severely mentally ill. ISSN
0031-5990.

Kvaal, K., Halding, A., & Kvigne, K. (2014). Social provision and
loneliness among older people suffering from chronic physical
illness. A mixed-methods approach. Scandinavian Journal Of Caring
Sciences, 28(1), 104-111. doi:10.1111/scs.12041

Mason, J. (1997). Prisoner of Pain. In The patient's voice:

Experiences of illness (pp. 63-71). Philadelphia: F.A. Davis.

Treatment for Isolation. retrieved from http://www.goodtherapy.org .