Comparison of the Spiritual Needs of Terminal Cancer Patients and Their Primary Family Caregivers

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine differences in Spiritual Interests Related to Illness Tool (SpIRIT) scores and the degree of spiritual needs (SNs) between patients with terminal cancer and their primary family caregivers and to compare spiritual needs between them. Methods: The study participants were inpatients with terminal cancer and their primary family caregivers at 40 national hospice centers. The final analysis included 120 SpIRIT surveys from patients and 115 from family members, and 99 SNs questionnaires from patients and 111 from family members. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, the t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficients. Results: There were no significant between-group differences in SpIRIT scores or SNs. The SpIRIT sub-dimensions that ranked high for both patients and primary family caregivers were "maintaining positive perspective", "loving others", and "finding meaning". The SNs sub-dimensions were ranked identically in both groups, in the order of "love and connection", "hope and peace", "meaning and purpose", respectively. In both groups, the recognition of the importance of spiritual matters and religion were major factors influencing SpIRIT scores and SNs. Conclusion: The SpIRIT scores and degree of SNs of patients with terminal cancer and their primary family caregivers were found to be very closely related, and the needs for coherence and meaning were greater than religious needs. When providing spiritual care for patients with terminal illness, family members should also be considered, and their prioritization of spiritual needs and the importance of spiritual matters and religion shall be taken into account.

A meaning-centered spiritual care training program for hospice palliative care teams in South Korea: development and preliminary evaluation

“…Second, the McSCTP-HPCTs is tied to spiritual needs with expressions, spiritual issues, and MCI based on the attributes of spirituality. In studies investigating the spiritual needs of patients who require hospice care and their families in South Korean culture [ 27 , 40 ], spiritual needs—grounded in the spirituality of patients and their families—were all high in the order of interconnectedness, meaning, and religious demands. Further, in a study on perceptions of spiritual care among patients with life-threatening cancer, primary family caregivers and hospice nurses [ 41 ] demonstrated that spiritual care is commonly seen as relating to having the opportunity for internal reflection, finding meaning, encouraging hope, and listening to and being with patients.…”

“…Moreover, we narrowed down the 12 spiritual issues depicted in the ISPEC guidelines [ 6 ] to nine issues suitable for South Korean culture, centered around meaning (“despair/hopelessness” and “lack of meaning and purpose [existential]”), interconnectedness (“anger at God or others,” “guilt/shame,” “grief/loss,” “reconciliation,” and “abandonment by God or others/isolation”), and transcendence (“concerns about one’s relationship with a deity” and “conflicted or challenged belief systems”). We excluded two spiritual topics (“religious-specific”, and “religious/spiritual struggle”) and merged two issues (“abandonment by God or others” and “isolation”) because of cultural differences based on the spiritual needs assessment [ 27 , 28 ]. This suggests that the framework and content of spiritual care training should consider variations according to cultural differences, but still follow global standard guidelines [ 42 , 43 ].…”

“…We carried out a needs assessment, as follows. First, we identified the spiritual care needs of patients with life-threatening illnesses (and their families) who were admitted to HPC institutions in South Korea [ 27 ]. Among their spiritual care needs, the desire for love and connection, finding meaning, and hope and peace were higher than religious beliefs.…”

A Meaning-centered spiritual care training program for hospice palliative care team in South Korea: development and preliminary evaluation

“…A needs assessment was conducted as follows. First, we identi ed the spiritual care needs of patients with lifethreatening illness and their families who were admitted to hospice palliative care institutions in Korea [26]. Among their spiritual care needs, the desire for love and connection, nding meaning, and hope and peace were found to be higher than religious beliefs.…”

Hope Experiences in Parents of Children With Cancer and Affecting Factors

“…12,20,21 The concept of hope also has a spiritual aspect that provides an intrinsic resource for individuals to express and achieve their goals, especially in uncertain, critical, and stressful situations. [22][23][24] Spiritual well-being is especially important for parents in coping with stressful situations and challenging experiences such as childhood cancers throughout the entire cancer trajectory, and is among the factors that positively affect parents' level of hope. 25,26 It has been identi ed in the literature that there is a positive relationship between spiritual well-being and the hope levels of parents of children diagnosed with cancer.…”