Abstract
To demonstrate the relationship between religious/spiritual coping and hope in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study with a quantitative approach performed in a reference outpatient clinic in Caruaru, PE, between August and October 2017. A total of 82 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy were included in the study, using the brief religious/spiritual coping scale (RCOPE-Brief) and the Herth Hope Scale (HHS). The sample presented mean positive RCOPE scores (3.03 ± 0.41) and the level of hope was considered high (42.7 points ± 3.67). Patients who had a high RCOPE score were found to have a higher mean of Herth's level of hope (44.12 points). This study becomes relevant to nursing professionals by encouraging care that takes into account the patient's spiritual dimension in order to stimulate positive mechanisms of religious coping and, consequently, raise the levels of hope.
Highlights
In Brazil, cancer is considered a public health problem whose incidence is on the rise
In this estimation we found the most frequent types of cancer, which are those of prostate and lung in the male sex, and of the breast, colon and rectum in the female sex[1]
Of the 292 patients selected, 210 were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria, 145 of whom used other nonchemotherapeutic drugs, such as bisphosphonates, hormones and immunotherapeutics, and 65 underwent chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy
Summary
In Brazil, cancer is considered a public health problem whose incidence is on the rise. According to estimates by the National Cancer Institute (Inca), about 600 thousand new cases of cancer were predicted for the 2016/2017 biennium. In this estimation we found the most frequent types of cancer, which are those of prostate and lung in the male sex, and of the breast, colon and rectum in the female sex[1]. Despite technological advances in the health sciences, which have allowed new forms of treatment for diseases considered true fatalities in the past, cancer continues to be generally perceived as an incurable disease. In seeking a new meaning for this lifethreatening reality, religiosity and spirituality can have beneficial effects on the individual, such as reduction of disturbing experiences due to cancer and improvement of the quality of life[2,4]
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