A Middle-Range Theory of Social Isolation in Chronic Illness

Paolo Iovino (), Ercole Vellone, Nadia Cedrone and Barbara Riegel
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Paolo Iovino: Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Ercole Vellone: Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Nadia Cedrone: Unità di Medicina Interna, Ospedale S. Pertini, 00157 Rome, Italy
Barbara Riegel: School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: Chronic illnesses and social isolation are major public phenomena that drive health and social policy worldwide. This article describes a middle-range theory of social isolation as experienced by chronically ill individuals. Key concepts include social disconnectedness, loneliness, and chronic illness. Antecedents of social isolation include predisposing factors (e.g., ageism and immigration) and precipitating factors (e.g., stigma and grief). Outcomes of social isolation include psychosocial responses (e.g., depression and quality of life), health-related behaviors (i.e., self-care), and clinical responses (e.g., cognitive function and health service use). Possible patterns of social isolation in chronic illness are described.

Keywords: chronic disease; social isolation; social interaction; loneliness; nursing theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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