Spiritual Awareness, Personal Perspective on Death, and Psychosocial Distress Among Cancer Patients

Smith, Elizabeth D.; Stefanek, Michael; Joseph, M. Vincentia; Verdieck, Mary Jeanne; Zabora, James; Fetting, John H.

doi:10.1300/j077v11n03_05

Cited by 56 publications

(27 citation statements)

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“…Clearly, 'spirituality' has become a ubiquitous term for a variety of beliefs and behaviors. For example, research has shown that religious values [60], religious practices [61,62], spiritual well-being [63], spiritual awareness, and religious thoughts [62] are associated with psychosocial adjustment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlates of existential well-being and their association with health-related quality of life in breast cancer survivors compared with the general population

Shin

Noh

Lee

et al. 2009

Breast Cancer Res Treat

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The aim was to evaluate the correlates of existential well-being (EWB) and investigate the relationship between EWB and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) according to the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire (MQOL) in breast cancer survivors (BCS) and in the general population. BCS (N = 1,933) recruited from five large hospitals completed a mailed survey, which included the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30), Quality of Life Questionnaire Breast Cancer Module (QLQ-BR23) and the MQOL. Reference data were derived from a representative sample of the Korean adult population composed of 500 women selected by a nationwide random route technique. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that members of the general population with a lower educational status were more likely to report poor EWB. However, among BCS, correlates that were associated with poor EWB included lower monthly income, lower educational status, unemployment and comorbidities. Almost all factors listed on the HRQOL questionnaire were correlated with EWB in BCS as well as in the general population (P < 0.001). Factors listed on the QLQ-C30 that were correlated to a clinically meaningful extent with EWB in the general population included physical functioning, nausea and vomiting, and appetite loss, whereas among BCS, insomnia and distress over hair loss were meaningfully correlated with EWB. Compared with general population, BCS showed different EWB correlates and distinct associations with HRQOL findings. Our data suggest that socio-economic status and comorbidities influence on their EWB.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlates of existential well-being and their association with health-related quality of life in breast cancer survivors compared with the general population

Shin

Noh

Lee

et al. 2009

Breast Cancer Res Treat

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“…6,8,9 When individuals receive a diagnosis of a terminal illness, they search for ways to cope with their impending death. 10,11 Because reliance on spirituality is believed to be one way that terminally ill individuals face death, their spiritual needs and perspectives can be quite different from those of their healthy counterparts. 9 Researchers have shown, for example, that terminally ill individuals tend to report greater religiosity and a stronger spiritual perspective than healthy adults and non-terminally ill hospitalized adults.…”

Section: ❖ Spirituality and The Terminally Illmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Experience of Spirituality in the Lives of Hospice Patients

Stephenson

Draucker

Martsolf

2003

Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing

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❖ Addressing the spiritual needs of patients is a crucial dimension of holistic healthcare, but perhaps the most neglected. Interpretive phenomenology was used to explore the experience of spirituality in the lives of hospice patients. Semistructured, in-depth interviews were conducted with six hospice patients. A four-member interpretive team analyzed the data using the strategies outlined by Diekelmann, Allen, and Tanner (1989). The participants told rich stories about events that occurred throughout their lives. The nature of the stories suggested that the beliefs, values, and experiences that were important to them throughout their lives were also important to them as they were dying. The interpretive team concluded that participants' spirituality was shown not by how they described their spiritual life, but rather by the way they organized their life narratives. An overall theme of "dying the way you lived" was identified. Two subthemes of "who is in charge" and "connecting and disconnecting" emerged from the data, suggesting that beliefs about control and the pattern of relationships with others, God, and environment give meaning and coherence to the way individuals understand the unfolding of their lives. The findings indicate that providing spiritual care for hospice patients involves forging meaningful connections, respecting the A ddressing the spiritual needs of patients is a crucial dimension of holistic healthcare, but perhaps the most neglected. 1 Research findings indicate that nurses often lack a clear understanding of patients' spiritual needs, that they plan and implement spiritual interventions on the basis of their own beliefs and values rather than those of the patient, and that they frequently report feeling unprepared to address spiritual needs. [2][3][4][5][6] Nurse researchers and theorists lament the lack of conceptual clarity related to the concept of spirituality, and note that definitions of spirituality vary widely in patients' choices for managing their dying, and eliciting stories about life and death in order to understand their unique and personal spiritual needs.

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“…17 Poor health literacy has also been associated with increased distress in people diagnosed with cancer. 18,19 There is also evidence of an association between increased patient spirituality and psychological well-being, 20,21 as well as perceived better family functioning and lower psychological distress in family members of childhood cancer survivors. [22][23][24] It should be noted that not all young people diagnosed with cancer demonstrate clinically significant distress and that those who do may first show symptoms at 6 or 12 months after diagnosis.…”

Section: Psychological Distressmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of the distress thermometer for use among adolescents and young adults with cancer in Australia: a multicenter study protocol

Patterson¹,

McDonald²,

Anazodo³

et al. 2015

COAYA

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Spiritual Awareness, Personal Perspective on Death, and Psychosocial Distress Among Cancer Patients

Cited by 56 publications

References 0 publications

Correlates of existential well-being and their association with health-related quality of life in breast cancer survivors compared with the general population

Correlates of existential well-being and their association with health-related quality of life in breast cancer survivors compared with the general population

The Experience of Spirituality in the Lives of Hospice Patients

Validation of the distress thermometer for use among adolescents and young adults with cancer in Australia: a multicenter study protocol

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