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Do spirituality and faith make a difference? Report from the Southern European Psycho-Oncology Study Group

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2010

Luzia Travado ,
Luigi Grassi ,
Francisco Gil ,
Cristina Martins ,
Cidália Ventura  and
Joana Bairradas
Luzia Travado*
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychology Unit, Central Lisbon Hospital Center - Hospital S. José, Lisbon, Portugal
Luigi Grassi
Affiliation:
Department of Behavior and Communication, Section of Psychiatry, University of Ferrara and Department of Mental Health and General University S. Anna Hospital, Ferrara, Italy
Francisco Gil
Affiliation:
Psycho-Oncology Unit, Hospital Duran i Reynals, Catalan Institute of Oncology, L′Hospitalet, Barcelona, Spain
Cristina Martins
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychology Unit, Central Lisbon Hospital Center - Hospital S. José, Lisbon, Portugal
Cidália Ventura
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychology Unit, Central Lisbon Hospital Center - Hospital S. José, Lisbon, Portugal
Joana Bairradas
Affiliation:
PsiSaude, Center for Research in Health and Human Development, Lisbon, Portugal
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Luzia Travado, Unidade de Psicologia Clínica, CHLC - Hospital de S. José, Rua José António Serrano,1150-199 Lisboa, Portugal. E-mail: luzia.travado@chlc.min-saude.pt
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Abstract

Objective:

In the last decade, some attention has been given to spirituality and faith and their role in cancer patients' coping. Few data are available about spirituality among cancer patients in Southern European countries, which have a big tradition of spirituality, namely, the Catholic religion. As part of a more general investigation (Southern European Psycho-Oncology Study – SEPOS), the aim of this study was to examine the effect of spirituality in molding psychosocial implications in Southern European cancer patients.

Method:

A convenience sample of 323 outpatients with a diagnosis of cancer between 6 to 18 months, a good performance status (Karnofsky Performance Status > 80), and no cognitive deficits or central nervous system (CNS) involvement by disease were approached in university and affiliated cancer centers in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland (Italian speaking area). Each patient was evaluated for spirituality (Visual Analog Scale 0-10), psychological morbidity (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale— HADS), coping strategies (Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer — Mini-MAC) and concerns about illness (Cancer Worries Inventory — CWI).

Results. The majority of patients (79.3%) referred to being supported by their spirituality/faith throughout their illness. Significant differences were found between the spirituality and non-spirituality groups (p ≤ 0.01) in terms of education, coping styles, and psychological morbidity. Spirituality was significantly correlated with fighting spirit (r = −0.27), fatalism (r = 0.50), and avoidance (r = 0.23) coping styles and negatively correlated with education (r = −0.25), depression (r = −0.22) and HAD total (r = −0.17).

Significance of results:

Spirituality is frequent among Southern European cancer patients with lower education and seems to play some protective role towards psychological morbidity, specifically depression. Further studies should examine this trend in Southern European cancer patients.

Keywords

SpiritualityCancer copingSouthern Europe Psycho-oncology
Type
Original Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 8 , Issue 4 , December 2010 , pp. 405 - 413
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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