Abstract
(1) Background: The role of culture in secular, spiritual, and religious coping methods is important, but needs more attention in research. The aim has been to (1) investigate the meaning-making coping methods among cancer patients in Turkey and (2) whether there were differences in two separate samples (compared to Study 2, Study 1 had a younger age group, was more educated, and grew up in a big city), (3) paying specific attention to gender, age, education, and area of residence. (2) Methods: Quantitative study using a convenience sampling in two time periods, Study 1 (n = 94) and Study 2 (n = 57). (3) Results: In Study 2, there is a significant increase in several religious and spiritual coping strategies. Additionally, there is a positive correlation between being a woman and using more religious or spiritual coping strategies. Secular meaning-making coping strategies also increase significantly in Study 2. The results confirmed the hypotheses for gender, educational, and age differences in seeking support from religious leaders. The results also confirmed the hypotheses for gender and educational level in a punishing God reappraisal and demonic reappraisal. (4) Conclusions: As Turkey is a country at the junction of strong religiosity and deep-rooted secularism, dividing up the meaning-making coping methods into the religious and spiritual, on one hand, and the secular, on the other, reveals interesting results.
Highlights
The search for significance in life has, in previous approaches to meaning-making coping strategies, predominantly been sought within the framework of traditional sacred contexts, such as organized religious beliefs (Brewer et al 2015; Braam et al 2010; Zinnbauer and Pargament 2005).religion is one among other resources in individuals’ orienting systems
The results are presented in two parts: The religious/spiritual meaning-making coping and the secular coping
Thinking about one’s disease by thinking about spiritual things; seeking spiritual help from a priest or religious leader; giving spiritual support to others; do/did think that illness was caused by an evil power; feeling of a strong connection with God; experiencing a strong feeling of spirituality; feeling of a strong spiritual contact with other people) and the secular coping
Summary
The search for significance in life has, in previous approaches to meaning-making coping strategies, predominantly been sought within the framework of traditional sacred contexts, such as organized religious beliefs (Brewer et al 2015; Braam et al 2010; Zinnbauer and Pargament 2005).religion is one among other resources in individuals’ orienting systems. When!approaching coping methods, it is important to pay attention to cultural terms, whether these are expressed through traditional religious concepts or outside. Culture dictates the many dimensions of coping, from the kind of stressors faced to the degree of perceived stressfulness, the selection and preference of coping strategy, and the institutional resources from which one seeks help (Kanal 2019, referring to Aldwin 2007; Chun et al 2006). Culture plays an essential role in the choice of coping methods. In Islamic culture, Sabr (tolerance), Ekthtebar (testing), and Kader (fate or predestination) have importance for patients when coping with the psychological problems that cancer brings about, especially so where religion plays an essential role in the choice
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