Assessment of the relation between religiosity, mental health, and psychological resilience in breast cancer patients

Abstract

Aim of the studyThe aim of this study was to examine the relationship between religiosity, mental health, and psychological resilience in breast cancer patients.Material and methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in an oncology department of a hospital in northern Greece during February and March 2017. The sample consisted of 152 breast cancer patients. Data were collected with the following instruments: Patient Health Questionnaire two-item scale, Generalised Anxiety Disorder two-item scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 25, and Centrality of Religiosity Scale. Also, patients’ characteristics were included, specifically demographic, social, and clinical information. Statistical analyses were conducted with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences V25.ResultsAccording to our results, approximately 1 out of 3 patients had depression and anxiety. Also, the sample had moderate resilience and were moderately religious. Patients who were classified as end-stage cancer patients and those who underwent mastectomy found to be more religious. Religiosity correlated positively with the resilience, while no correlation was found with depression, anxiety, and symptom burden. Based on regression results, religious beliefs seem to be a predictive factor for resilience and resilience is a predictive factor for depression.ConclusionsOur findings show that there was no association between religiosity and mental health, while a strong relation was highlighted between religious beliefs and psychological resilience. This study should constitute a starting point for further assessments regarding the fact that religiosity can provide social support that facilitates psychological adaption to illness and helps cancer patients to cope with their illness, which should be recognised by health care professionals.

Physical activity and personal factors associated with nurse resilience in intensive care units

“…Our findings align with previous research where religiosity was positively associated with resilience (Choi & Hastings, 2019;Fradelos et al, 2018). Religiousness is often regarded as a source of strength for buffering the effects of adversity (Pargament & Cummings, 2010 The low values from this table (which become zero if rounded to one digit) have been presented as percentages.…”

Relationship between the religious attitudes of women with gynecologic cancer and mental adjustment to cancer

“…The qualitative study by Ahaddour and Broeckaert (2018) reported that religious approaches of Muslim women who were diagnosed with cancer such as thinking of the disease as a condition from God affected patients positively on coping with the problems caused by the disease (Ahaddour and Broeckaert, 2018). Previous studies in the literature conducted with women with breast cancer reported that religious practices (prayer and meditation) contributed to the mental adjustment of women with cancer to the disease (Ng et al, 2017; Saso et al, 2017; Fradelos et al, 2018; Park et al, 2018; Karabulutlu et al, 2019). Also, studies conducted in Turkey have indicated that religious practices were common among gynecologic cancer patients (Nazik et al, 2012; Duman et al, 2018).…”

Perceived social support and coping style as mediators between resilience and health-related Quality of Life in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer: A cross-sectional study

“…However, previous studies have focused primarily on negative psychological and behavioral responses such as anxiety and depression [8,9], fear of progression/relapse [10,11], decreased self-e cacy [12], poor perception of social support [13,14], and negative coping strategies [15]. Few studies have examined the direct and indirect effects of resilience on the physical, psychological, and social functioning of women with breast cancer [7,16,17], and studies of women who have been newly diagnosed are even more limited.…”