Story-Sharing to Diminish Loneliness and Its Sequelae in Chronically Ill Older Adults

Laurie A. Theeke, PhD, Mary Jane Smith, PhD, Georgia Narsavage, PhD, Julia Moore, MSN, Ann McBurney, RN

West Virginia University School of Nursing, Morgantown, WV

Loneliness is a significant biopsychosocial stressor associated with negative health outcomes. The study compares the efficacy of a story-sharing intervention to an attention-control education group in decreasing loneliness and neuroimmunological stress response and in improving quality of life and physical health measures related to chronic illness.

Loneliness has been associated with negative health outcomes including:

-Diminished Immune Response

-Altered Inflammatory Response

-Heart disease

-Depression

-Tobacco Use

-Less Exercise

-Obesity

-Misperception of Social Cues, potentially due to altered brain function

-More frequent use of primary care centers, emergency sites, and social services

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