Coping strategies for existencial and spiritual suffering in Israeli patients with advanced cancer

Abstract

Coping with existential and spiritual concerns is inescapable in end-of-life care although not enough is known about the strategies and mechanisms involved. This pilot study focused on identifying the strategies for coping with existential and spiritual suffering at the end of life of secular Jews with advanced-stage cancer. Using the phenomenological approach to data collection, in-depth interviews were conducted with 22 patients receiving symptom relief care at a daycare oncology clinic. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and the content was analyzed.Advanced-stage cancer patients employ several approaches to cope with existential and spiritual concerns. The themes emerging from the interviews present five dimensions of coping strategies: openness and choosing to face reality, connectedness and the significance of family, pursuit of meaning, the connection of body, mind and spirit and, lastly, humor and a positive outlook.ConclusionsSince these concerns cause suffering and distress, intervention models targeting existential and spiritual suffering should be disseminated among professionals involved in caring for people with life-threatening illnesses.

Spiritual care in Israel: the future is now

“…As the study by Bentur et al [3] only evaluated "secular" Israelis, it will be important to do similar studies with the segment of Jewish population that identifies itself as religious, as well on non-Jewish patients, although as discussed above, based on the comparison of the results of this study with the one by Blinderman and Chernys [4], it is likely that the results will not be very different.…”

“…Regarding spiritual and existential coping strategies, the topic of the paper by Bentur et al [3], there is a significant body of research already available defining coping mechanisms in Western society as well as studies evaluating how these strategies affect the ability of advanced cancer patients to adjust to illness [19,20]. This has led to the development of recommended therapeutic intervention protocols [5,[21][22][23], with studies evaluating these interventions for effectiveness currently underway [24].…”

“…Returning now to the primary topic of this commentary, the paper by Bentur et al on coping strategies for spiritual suffering [3], there is, not surprisingly, little in the Israeli health care literature with which it can be compared. As cited above, Bentur et al commented on the similarity that the coping factors they identified had with those of an Israeli study by Blinderman and Cherny [4] that evaluated the existential issues of a group of patients seen in the outpatient oncology/palliative care clinic at a major Israeli teaching hospital.…”

“…Not entirely by coincidence, one week prior to the certification ceremony, Bentur et al submitted for publication the article entitled "Coping strategies for existential and spiritual suffering in Israeli patients with advanced cancer," which is the subject of this commentary [3]. Bentur et al's study evaluated the various strategies that a group of Israeli patients with advanced cancer utilized to cope with the existential and spiritual suffering that often accompanies such illnesses.…”

The Role of Religious Coping in Perception of Suffering among Patients Undergoing Dialysis

“…In fact, religion gives meaning to people's life and death, and as a result creates an inner peace and reduces suffering in people (17). Another study showed a significant and positive relationship between religious beliefs and pain reduction (18). Beiranvand concluded that religious and spiritual interventions, including prayer and meditation, can be applied as a non-pharmaceutical pain management technique to reduce pain and increase calmness after a C-section (19).…”