Principal Investigator · CLIO
Cancer Related Loneliness Interventions and Outcomes
Tristi’s PhD research explores cancer-related loneliness: how it develops, the circumstances that shape it, and how people living with cancer manage their experience.
Using realist-informed qualitative research, two scoping reviews and interviews with 18 adults living with cancer in East Kent, the study looks beyond how much social contact people have. It asks what helps, for whom, in what circumstances, and why.
Understanding a changed life
Participants described cancer as disrupting their sense of identity, their relationships and the future they had imagined. Loneliness could be present even when they were surrounded by family and friends.
Meaning making is central: understanding what has happened, adjusting to change, and finding ways to feel connected and understood. Personal resources, relationships, healthcare encounters and wider social circumstances all shape this experience.
Research with people
Tristi has worked with a Public Patient Involvement and Engagement group, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust and other stakeholders. Their contributions helped shape research materials, interview questions and the approach to participation.
What comes next
The findings provide a foundation for developing and evaluating co-designed interventions. The August 2026 summary sets out plans to invite people with cancer, carers and other stakeholders to a focus group in late 2026 to discuss the findings and next steps.