Abstract
ABSTRACTObjectives:to compare the quality of life and religious-spiritual coping of palliative cancer care patients with a group of healthy participants; assess whether the perceived quality of life is associated with the religious-spiritual coping strategies; identify the clinical and sociodemographic variables related to quality of life and religious-spiritual coping. Method:cross-sectional study involving 96 palliative outpatient care patient at a public hospital in the interior of the state of São Paulo and 96 healthy volunteers, using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Brief Religious-Spiritual Coping scale. Results:192 participants were interviewed who presented good quality of life and high use of Religious-Spiritual Coping. Greater use of negative Religious-Spiritual Coping was found in Group A, as well as lesser physical and psychological wellbeing and quality of life. An association was observed between quality of life scores and Religious-Spiritual Coping (p<0.01) in both groups. Male sex, Catholic religion and the Brief Religious-Spiritual Coping score independently influenced the quality of life scores (p<0.01). Conclusion:both groups presented high quality of life and Religious-Spiritual Coping scores. Male participants who were active Catholics with higher Religious-Spiritual Coping scores presented a better perceived quality of life, suggesting that this coping strategy can be stimulated in palliative care patients.
Highlights
In Brazil, palliative care is an emerging end-oflife care modality that has gained emphasis in recent years due to the increased life expectancy of the population, the change in the epidemiological profile of chronic-degenerative diseases and the need to provide a dignified death to patients whose illness no longer responds to the curative treatment[1].This fact has compelled the health professionals to rethink the way they take care of patients beyond possibilities of cure, in view of countless difficulties at home, contributing to the institutionalization of death.Care in the palliative care context differs from curative care because it reaffirms life and faces death as a reality to be experienced together with the family members
The significant use of negative Religious-Spiritual Coping (RSC) is observed in Group A, as well as lower scores in the physical and psychological wellbeing domains of quality of life
The limits of the study results refer to its crosssectional design, as holding interviews at a single moment may not be enough to picture the magnitude of changes that can occur in the palliative care phase
Summary
In Brazil, palliative care is an emerging end-oflife care modality that has gained emphasis in recent years due to the increased life expectancy of the population, the change in the epidemiological profile of chronic-degenerative diseases and the need to provide a dignified death to patients whose illness no longer responds to the curative treatment[1].This fact has compelled the health professionals to rethink the way they take care of patients beyond possibilities of cure, in view of countless difficulties at home, contributing to the institutionalization of death.Care in the palliative care context differs from curative care because it reaffirms life and faces death as a reality to be experienced together with the family members. In Brazil, palliative care is an emerging end-oflife care modality that has gained emphasis in recent years due to the increased life expectancy of the population, the change in the epidemiological profile of chronic-degenerative diseases and the need to provide a dignified death to patients whose illness no longer responds to the curative treatment[1]. This fact has compelled the health professionals to rethink the way they take care of patients beyond possibilities of cure, in view of countless difficulties at home, contributing to the institutionalization of death. When cure and the extension of life are no longer possible, this measure becomes fundamental
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