{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T09:02:34Z","timestamp":1790240554363,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"19","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790208000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Cancers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Loneliness in adult cancer survivors is a frequent and disruptive psychosocial sequela with important consequences for overall health. Psychosocial interventions designed to address this issue are crucial. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the efficacy of various psychosocial interventions for reducing loneliness in adult cancer survivors. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, CINAHL Complete and Psicodoc for studies published up to October 2025. Methodological quality was assessed using PRISMA, RoB 2, and the PEDro Scale. The protocol was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251174610). Results: Psychosocial interventions showed a significant and moderate effect on reducing loneliness (SMD = 0.46; 95% IC: 0.16 to 0.75). Heterogeneity was high (Q = 30.01; p-value &lt; 0.001; I2 = 70%), and exploratory analyses suggested that differences in loneliness measurement instruments may contribute to this heterogeneity. Additional benefits were observed in anxiety, depression, well-being, and quality of life. Meaning-based and cognitive-behavioral approaches were found to be most effective. A large proportion of the studies showed a high risk of bias. Conclusions: Current evidence suggests that psychosocial interventions may reduce loneliness in adult cancer survivors. However, given the high risk of bias and heterogeneity, findings should be interpreted cautiously. Standardized tools and longitudinal designs remain essential.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers18193101","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T08:06:37Z","timestamp":1790237197000},"page":"3101","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effectiveness of Interventions for Reducing Loneliness Among Adult Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1196-816X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Celia","family":"S\u00e1nchez-G\u00f3mez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Salamanca, Av. de La Merced, 109, 37005 Salamanca, Spain"},{"name":"Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-1954-1939","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alba","family":"S\u00e1nchez-Gil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Centre of Reference for People with Alzheimer\u2019s Disease and Other Dementias, 37008 Salamanca, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2175-8545","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eduardo Jos\u00e9","family":"Fern\u00e1ndez-Rodr\u00edguez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jesus","family":"Perez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK"},{"name":"Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge CB21 5EF, UK"},{"name":"Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emilio","family":"Fonseca-S\u00e1nchez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3960-8665","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sara","family":"Jim\u00e9nez-Garc\u00eda-Tiz\u00f3n","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Salamanca, Av. de La Merced, 109, 37005 Salamanca, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5427-9743","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alberto","family":"Garc\u00eda-Mart\u00edn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Labor Law and Social Work, Faculty of Law, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3962-7356","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Javier","family":"Mart\u00edn-Vallejo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Department of Statistics, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4791-6513","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Juan Luis","family":"S\u00e1nchez-Gonz\u00e1lez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Instituto Nacional de Estad\u00edstica (2025, December 19). 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