From the Guidelines
To address relatedness need dissatisfaction in patients with dissatisfaction, it is crucial to focus on building meaningful connections with others through regular social interactions, joining groups with shared interests, and developing deeper relationships, as this can lead to improved mental health, increased motivation, and overall quality of life.
Key Strategies
- Scheduling regular check-ins with friends and family, even if just for 15-30 minutes via phone or video calls, can help maintain social bonds 1.
- Joining community organizations, volunteer groups, or classes where individuals can meet people with similar interests can foster new relationships and a sense of belonging.
- Practicing active listening and vulnerability in conversations can deepen existing relationships and promote emotional support.
- Using technology mindfully to maintain connections through social media or messaging apps, but prioritizing in-person interactions when possible, is essential for meaningful relationships.
- Creating rituals like weekly dinners or monthly outings with people one cares about can provide a sense of routine and strengthen social connections.
Evidence-Based Recommendations
The importance of addressing relatedness need dissatisfaction is highlighted in the context of cancer care, where patients often experience significant distress and unmet needs 1.
- Peer support programs, including face-to-face meetings, camp-style formats, or online support groups, can assist patients in establishing and maintaining relationships with their healthy peers as well as with other patients with cancer, promoting positive psychosocial growth and reducing feelings of social isolation 1.
- Interventions that improve illness-related symptoms should ideally facilitate an integrated approach to symptom relief, matching the patient's and family's needs, wishes, and circumstances, emphasizing the role of supportive care in cancer treatment 1.
Clinical Implications
In real-life clinical practice, addressing relatedness need dissatisfaction requires a comprehensive approach that considers the patient's overall well-being, including their physical, psychosocial, spiritual, and cultural functioning.
- Healthcare providers should prioritize systematic, comprehensive, evidence-based assessment of distress experienced by patients and caregivers, conducting assessments at critical points in the cancer trajectory to accurately understand symptom burden and treat distress effectively 1.
- The development of supportive care programs that integrate symptom management, counseling, and educational interventions can significantly improve patients' quality of life and reduce distress, underscoring the importance of relationship-centered care in delivering these services 1.
From the Research
Implications of Unmet Relatedness Needs
The implications of unmet relatedness needs in patients with dissatisfaction can be understood through various studies.
- Unmet relatedness needs can lead to increased dissatisfaction, which may drive individuals to seek connection through other means, such as social media 2.
- Relatedness need dissatisfaction can also predict the presence of dark personalities, which is mediated by prevention focus and can be influenced by depression levels 3.
- On the other hand, supporting relatedness needs can have positive effects, such as enhancing motivation, positive affect, and motor learning in adolescents 4.
- Interpersonal supports for relatedness needs are crucial for achieving optimal motivation, well-being, and performance, and can have a positive impact on basic need satisfaction and subjective well-being 5.
Relatedness Needs and Mental Health
The relationship between relatedness needs and mental health is complex, and unmet relatedness needs can have significant implications for patients with dissatisfaction.
- Unmet relatedness needs can contribute to the development of mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety 3, 6.
- Combining cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can be an effective treatment approach for youth with depression and anxiety, and can help address unmet relatedness needs 6.