Associations between a sense of connection and existential and psychosocial outcomes in gynecologic and breast cancer survivors

Abstract

Background A cancer diagnosis may lead to existential despair but potentially also to perceived inner growth. This growth may be fostered through meaningful connections with others. We sought to describe existential and related psychosocial outcomes and their association with a sense of connection with others in individuals with gynecological and breast cancers. Methods We used cross-sectional data from two ongoing cohort studies of gynecologic ( N = 236) and breast ( N = 62) cancer survivors at the University of Minnesota. We summarized self-reported post-traumatic growth (PTG), sense of meaning, peace, spirituality, hopelessness, loneliness, and three exploratory measures of sense of connections with others, and used multivariate linear regression models to describe the associations between them. Results Hope, sense of meaning, peace, and spirituality were generally high among participants, but PTG and loneliness scores varied more. Sense of connection with others was consistently associated with greater PTG and decreased loneliness with medium effect sizes: for example having positive interactions with most/all versus nobody on one’s medical team, PTG (coefficient 10.49, 95% CI: 4.10, 16.87, Cohen’s D 0.44); loneliness (coefficient − 0.85, 95% CI: − 1.36, − 0.34, Cohen’s D 0.43). Those who knew someone in a similar life situation felt a strong sense of connection with such a person; however, 28% of participants had not met anyone in a similar situation. Conclusions There may be untapped opportunities to nurture beneficial existential outcomes in cancer survivors. Potential interventions include connecting survivors with one another and creating opportunities for more authentic patient-provider relationships, for example, within palliative care. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00520-021-06784-8.

The bidimensional spirit and mattering: A continuum of spiritual care interventions.

“…This level of connection is deeper the more the two people matter to each other. Such connections have proven to be therapeutic and provide positive spiritual/existential outcomes (Jewett et al, 2022).…”

“…This level of connection is deeper the more the two people matter to each other. Such connections have proven to be therapeutic and provide positive spiritual/existential outcomes (Jewett et al, 2022). This first level of spiritual care is "spiritually conscious care" (Saunders et al, 2010, p. 355) that can "be easily implemented in everyday health-care practice" (Henoch & Danielson, 2009, p. 229).…”

Loneliness in Breast Cancer Patients with Early Life Adversity: An Investigation of the Effects of Childhood Trauma and Self-Regulation

“…In those coping with medical illness, there can also be a reciprocal relationship between psychological and physical well-being, such that unresolved psychological loss may diminish health outcomes, which then further increases psychological suffering. Loneliness in cancer patients may deteriorate quality of life because the lack of meaningful relationships can be demoralizing [9]. Loneliness has been associated with depression, poor immune function, pain, and fatigue in cancer survivors [10].…”

Relationship among post-traumatic growth, spiritual well-being, and perceived social support in Chinese women with gynecological cancer

“…These characteristics of cancer lead people to re-examine priorities, relationships, and themselves, providing opportunities for positive psychological change 7 , 8 , such as post-traumatic growth (PTG). Studies have provided empirical evidence that post-traumatic growth is observed in women with gynecological cancer 9 , 10 .…”