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The Dying, Those Who Care for Them, and How They Cope With Loneliness
Ami Rokach, PhD
Institute For the Study and Treatment oF Psychosocial Stress, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, arokach{at}yorku.ca
Raan Matalon
Institute For the Study and Treatment oF Psychosocial Stress, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Artem SaFarov, BS
Institute For the Study and Treatment oF Psychosocial Stress, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Michaela Bercovitch, MD
Palliative Care Department, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Israel
This study compares the manner in which the dying, their caregivers, and the general population cope with loneliness. The patients were recruited in an oncological hospice in Israel and, despite being on their deathbed, agreed to participate. Thirty-seven cancer-stricken patients, 78 caregivers, and 128 participants From the general population volunteered to take part. The participants anonymously answered a 34-item questionnaire and were asked to endorse those items that described their strategies oF successFully coping with loneliness. Results suggested the dying patient, his or her caregiver, and the general population cope with loneliness diFFerently. Dying patients scored signiFicantly lower than the general population on the social support network and increased activity sub-scales, with a reversed trend For religion and Faith. This may be the First study to examine the manner in which the dying and their caregivers cope with loneliness. Thus, more research is needed to replicate the study using larger samples.
Key Words: loneliness • coping • hospice • caregivers • oncology • hospitalization
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American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®, Vol. 24, No. 5,
399-407 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1049909107305652
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