Social disconnectedness and perceived social isolation in persons with spinal cord injury/dysfunction living in the community: A scoping review

Abstract

Context: Persons with spinal cord injury/dysfunction (SCI/D) are particularly at risk for social disconnectedness and/or perceived social isolation, which are key components to overall well-being. However, there is limited evidence that aims to understand these phenomena in this population.

Objective: To investigate what is known about social disconnectedness and perceived social isolation for adults with SCI/D living in the community.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted. A computer assisted search of four online databases was completed on all articles published until May 18th, 2021. Gray literature and key agencies were also searched for relevant documents. Two key concepts (spinal cord injury/dysfunction and social disconnectedness/perceived social isolation) and associated terms were used. All articles were double screened for inclusion by two reviewers.

Results: Following deduplication, title and abstract screening and full-text screening, 37 articles met the criteria for inclusion in this review. Most of the included articles were published in North America, used quantitative methods and a cross-sectional design. Articles identified several factors that influenced social disconnectedness and perceived social isolation including participant characteristics, social support, psychological well-being, participation in activities, the built environment and physical health.

Conclusion: The current literature suggests that issues with social disconnectedness and perceived social isolation exist for persons living with SCI/D in the community. More work is needed to better understand the relationship between these constructs. A more nuanced understanding can inform targeted interventions to help mitigate the impact of these phenomena on the SCI/D population.

Keywords:

• Spinal cord injury
• Perceived social isolation
• Loneliness
• Social disconnectedness
• Scoping review

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance of Julia Martyniuk, faculty liaison and librarian at the University of Toronto for her assistance with the development of the search strategy used in this review. We would also like to acknowledge Drs Lisa McCarthy and Katie Dainty for their contributions to this paper as part of S.R. Cimino’s PhD comprehensive examination committee. Dr. Guilcher is supported by a Canadian Institute of Health Research Embedded Clinician Scientist Salary Award on Transitions in Care working with Ontario Health (Quality; formerly Health Quality Ontario).

Disclaimer statements

Contributors None.

Funding This paper is part of Stephanie R. Cimino’s requirements for the completion of her comprehensive examinations as part of her PhD, which is being funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research [grant number 162125].

Conflicts of interest Authors have no conflict of interests to declare.