Less Social Isolation Linked to Better Self-Care in Heart Failure Patients: Study

Patients with heart failure (HF) who are less socially isolated demonstrate significantly better self-care behaviors, according to a new study, while loneliness alone appears to have no measurable impact on self-care engagement.

The study, published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing by Wolters Kluwer Health is a secondary analysis of the GEtting iNTo Light Exercise for HF randomized controlled trial, the cross-sectional study evaluated 49 patients with HF participating in a 6-month, home-based group exercise intervention. The research aimed to assess whether social isolation or loneliness could predict adherence to four domains of HF self-care: maintenance, monitoring, management, and confidence.

Validated tools were used to assess each domain:

• The 6-item Lubben Social Network Scale measured social isolation,
• The PROMIS Social Isolation survey assessed loneliness,
• HF self-care was evaluated using the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index, and
• Depression was measured via the PROMIS Depression survey.

After adjusting for depression and intervention grouping, lower social isolation scores significantly predicted better self-care in three key areas:

• Maintenance (B = 0.937, P = .015),
• Monitoring (B = 0.799, P = .041),
• Management (B = 1.812, P < .001).

However, loneliness did not predict self-care in any domain.

This study is notable for being the first to distinctly examine social isolation and loneliness as separate predictors of HF self-care, rather than treating them interchangeably. Researchers emphasized that interventions aimed at enhancing social connectedness—such as strengthening personal networks or structured group activities—may be critical to improving self-care behaviors in patients with HF.

“These findings underscore the need for clinicians to assess social support structures, not just emotional well-being, when designing heart failure care plans,” the authors noted.

Further prospective studies are warranted to determine whether reducing social isolation can lead to improved clinical outcomes, such as decreased hospital readmissions and mortality in the HF population.

Reference: Platz K, Cavanagh CE, Metzger M, Park LG, Howie-Esquivel J. Effects of Social Isolation and Loneliness on Heart Failure Self-care: A Cross-sectional Analysis. J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2025;40(3):218–227. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health. Available via Ovid®. DOI: 10.1097/JCN.0000000000001123.