Prevalence and influencing factors of social alienation among elderly patients undergoing radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer

Objectives: This study aims to not only investigate the prevalence of social alienation among elderly patients undergoing radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer but also identify the contributing factors. Materials and methods: A total of 245 elderly patients diagnosed with prostate cancer and undergoing radical prostatectomy at a tertiary care general hospital in Jinan were included in this study. To assess the patients, several questionnaires were used. These included the General Situation Questionnaire, General Alienation Scale, Social Impact Scale, Modified Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer, and Perceived Social Support Scale. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationships between variables, whereas multiple linear regression was used to identify the factors influencing social alienation among patients who underwent radical prostatectomy. Results: Patients who underwent radical prostatectomy had a mean total score of 44.13 +/- 7.24 on the Social Alienation Scale. The results of the Pearson correlation analysis indicated that social alienation showed an inverse association with social support (r = -0.627, p < 0.05) and positive associations with age, disease stigma, and anxiety (r = 0.325, 0.575, 0.421, all p's < 0.01) among patients who underwent radical prostatectomy. The findings from multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that educational level, age, urinary incontinence, disease stigma, anxiety, and social support significantly influenced social alienation among elderly patients who underwent radical prostatectomy (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Elderly patients who undergo radical prostatectomy often experience social alienation. This study found that social alienation was associated with factors such as educational level, age, urinary incontinence, social support, anxiety, and disease stigma. Consequently, healthcare providers should actively monitor the degree of social alienation in elderly patients after radical prostatectomy and provide suitable psychological care to facilitate positive social reintegration and alleviate their feelings of social alienation.