Loneliness and social isolation are prevalent and persistent in cancer patients, affecting their psychosocial adjustment. Non-pharmacological interventions have been shown to be effective in previous studies; however, the most effective types of non-pharmacological interventions for this population remain unclear.
The aim of this systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) was to synthesize the existing evidence and compare the effectiveness of different types of non-pharmacological interventions in treating loneliness and social isolation among cancer patients.
A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and MEDLINE databases from their inception to December 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating non-pharmacological interventions targeting loneliness and social isolation in cancer patients were included. NMA was performed using Stata 17.0 software under a frequentist framework.
A total of 13 RCTs were included, including 9 non-pharmacological interventions and 1151 cancer patients. In order of probability, group logotherapy (SUCRA: 99.9%, SMD: −1.62, 95% CI: −2.23 to −1.01) was the most effective intervention for alleviating loneliness and social isolation, followed by psychoeducational therapy (SUCRA: 76.9%, SMD: −0.62, 95% CI: −1.16 to −0.07) and supportive expressive group therapy (SUCRA: 65.7%, SMD: −0.40, 95% CI: −0.75 to −0.05).
The NMA suggests that, in terms of short-term efficacy, group logotherapy may be considered the optimal choice for reducing loneliness and social isolation levels in cancer patients. Healthcare professionals could regularly conduct group logotherapy among cancer patients to promote their psychosocial adaptation.
PROSPERO Registration Number: CRD42024616937
To examine published studies on nursing academics' experience with student incivility, explore their management strategies, and identify existing knowledge gaps.
This scoping review was guided by Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage framework.
Studies published between 2009 and June 2024 in English were retrieved from PubMed, CINAHL Complete, ProQuest, and Scopus.
The review included qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies on nursing academics' experiences or perceptions of student incivility and/or interventions to manage it in higher education. Data were analysed using descriptive methods.
Thirty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies mostly explored nursing academics' experiences (n = 18) or perceptions (n = 15) of student incivility. Of the eleven studies that investigated how academic staff address student incivility, nine were interventional studies and two qualitative studies explored academics' experiences.
The prevalence of reported nursing student incivility is substantial in the literature, yet there is limited evidence on sustainable, targeted management strategies to address the issue and support nursing academics.
Further research is needed to evaluate the feasibility and long-term effectiveness of strategies and interventions aimed at reducing student incivility and to explore effective management strategies adopted by nursing academics across diverse cultural and online learning settings. It is critical to develop interventions that address the root causes of student nurse incivility and strengthen institutional support systems.
This scoping review addresses gaps in the literature on managing nursing student incivility across diverse learning environments, providing evidence to inform the development of contextually appropriate strategies that support nursing academics in managing incivility effectively within evolving educational settings.
This review followed the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist.
No patient or public involvement.