Abstract
To investigate the relation between the presence of spiritual distress and use of RSC and sociodemographic, clinical and religious/spiritual variables in people with cancer. Cross-sectional study conducted in an association for support to people with cancer. The data obtained with the tools were analyzed using the Spearman's correlation coefficient and the Mann-Whitney Test. 129 volunteers participated in the study, of which 57% showed moderate spiritual distress, 96% used medium and high positive religious/spiritual coping. Spiritual distress showed positive correlation with negative religious/spiritual coping (P<0.001) and inverse correlation with age (p 0.002). The use of positive religious coping was statistically significant in people who have religious practices (p 0.001). Spiritual distress is a phenomenon that is present in the lives of people with cancer and has significant relation with the use, in a negative manner, of religion/spirituality as a way of coping with the disease.
Highlights
Spirituality has been defined by several researchers[1,2,3,4] in different constructs; it has had consensus as to the dynamic and intrinsic aspect of human beings – and, it may be associated with religion, these are considered different phenomena
The use of religious/spiritual coping (RSC) may be both positive and negative. It is considered as positive RSC (PRSC) that which includes strategies that provide beneficial effect to the individual,such as the pursuit of God’s love/protection or greater connection to transcendental forces, while negative RSC (NRSC) involves strategies that generate deleterious consequences, such as seeking escape and delegating to God the resolution of problems[7]
The importance of spirituality/religiosity reported by volunteers in this study, as well as the prevalence of involvement with their religious belief, may have been a factor that led to low prevalence of spiritual distress and increased use of PRSC as coping mechanism when experiencing cancer and its treatment, reinforcing the importance of this strategy
Summary
Spirituality has been defined by several researchers[1,2,3,4] in different constructs; it has had consensus as to the dynamic and intrinsic aspect of human beings – and, it may be associated with religion, these are considered different phenomena. The first refers to the inherent pursuit of connection to the sacred, transcendent that adds meaning to existence, while the second is the expression of one’s own spirituality through beliefs, rites, and practices[4]. RSC refers to the use of religious beliefs and behaviors that facilitate the resolution of problems and prevent or relieve negative emotional consequences from stressful life situations[5,6]. The use of RSC may be both positive and negative It is considered as positive RSC (PRSC) that which includes strategies that provide beneficial effect to the individual,such as the pursuit of God’s love/protection or greater connection to transcendental forces, while negative RSC (NRSC) involves strategies that generate deleterious consequences, such as seeking escape and delegating to God the resolution of problems[7]
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