Factors associated with loneliness in patients with diabetes mellitus.
Ewa Kobos, Alicja Szewczyk, Janina Kokoszka-Paszkot and 1 others
PMID 33318858WHAT IT FOUND
Loneliness averaged 38.22 of 80 in 248 hospitalized patients with diabetes, and was higher in those who were single, had primary or junior high school education, or had diabetes complications.
Key findings
01The mean loneliness score was 38.22, and 47% of patients had low, 36% moderate, 13% high, and 3% very high loneliness.
02Higher loneliness was seen in patients who were single, had primary or junior high school education, or had chronic diabetes complications.
03Loneliness did not differ by diabetes type or treatment used.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only hospitalized patients were studied, so the results may not apply to people with diabetes who are not in hospital. There was no non-diabetic comparison group, so the study cannot say whether loneliness was higher than in people without diabetes. Data were collected at one time point, so the study cannot show whether loneliness led to complications or complications led to loneliness. The study did not test any intervention, so it cannot show that assessing loneliness improves diabetes control. The authors noted a small sample size. The conclusion states one-fifth severe loneliness, while the reported categories were 13% high and 3% very high.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the loneliness associations as proof that loneliness causes worse diabetes outcomes or that nurses should treat loneliness to improve control. This was a cross-sectional survey of hospitalized patients, with no non-diabetic comparison group and no intervention tested.