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Religious–spiritual experiences of family members and caregivers of children and adolescents with cancer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 October 2021

Lucas Rossato Open the ORCID record for Lucas Rossato [Opens in a new window] ,
Julia Corrêa Benfato ,
Ana M. Ullán  and
Fabio Scorsolini-Comin
Lucas Rossato*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatric Nursing and Human Sciences, University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Julia Corrêa Benfato
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatric Nursing and Human Sciences, University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Ana M. Ullán
Affiliation:
Department of Social Psychology and Anthropology, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
Fabio Scorsolini-Comin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatric Nursing and Human Sciences, University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
*
Author for correspondence: Lucas Rossato, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. E-mail: rossatousp@usp.br
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Abstract

This integrative literature review aimed to identify the religious and spiritual experiences of family members and caregivers of children and adolescents with cancer. Through systematized searches in the databases/libraries CINAHL, PsycINFO, Pubmed, SciELO, and Lilacs, 69 articles produced between 2010 and 2020 were retrieved. There was a predominance of studies with parents developed in hospital facilities. The caregivers’ religious and spiritual experiences helped them to cope with childhood cancer, especially in maintaining hope, reducing stress and anxiety symptoms, as well as in providing psychological and social support. Negative outcomes such as questioning faith, the feeling of punishment, and disruption with the religious and spiritual group were also perceived. It is recommended to include religiosity and spirituality for the provision of more humanized and comprehensive care, as well as further investigation of the negative experiences regarding religiosity and spirituality in this public.

Keywords

CancerChildrenFamilyReligiositySpirituality
Type
Review Article
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 20 , Issue 5 , October 2022 , pp. 711 - 719
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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