Religiosity and the Challenge of Terminal Illness

Abstract

One of the assumptions that underpins the literature on spirituality is the belief that facing a terminal illness is a life crisis that intensifies the search for meaning, leaving individuals predisposed to embrace religion. To date, however, there is scant empirical research on the topic. This article seeks to make a contribution to this topic by reporting findings from a qualitative study that address the question of whether individuals embrace religious beliefs when faced with the challenge of a serious illness. The data were gathered from open-ended interviews with 14 hospice patients, audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed. The findings indicate the majority did not seek religious comfort or conversion as a response to the challenge of terminal illness, even when this was seen as desirable. Although participants were not actively inspired to be religious as a result of their illness, they did hold a number of spiritual perspectives that were actively at play.

An interpretative phenomenological analysis exploring the lived experience of individuals dying from terminal cancer in Ireland

“…They strove to maintain roles, as found by McGrath (2003). They perceived themselves foremost within roles they always held, rather than as patients.…”

Interventions to Enhance the Spiritual Aspects of Dying

“…She believes that her findings highlight the importance of maintaining a clear distinction between religion and a more generalized notion of spirituality, that is, finding meaning. 54,55 Palliative care researchers may make this distinction more frequently than other researchers who typically have measured spirituality and religiosity in terms of religious affiliation. Of 1117 empirical studies published in five palliative medicine/hospice journals, researchers assessed spirituality using variables such as spiritual well-being, meaning or transcendence (32%), followed by religious affiliation (29%), and spiritual/religious services provided (19%).…”

Dying, Dignity, and New Horizons in Palliative End-of-Life Care

“…She found that most did not seek explicitly religious comfort in response to their illness and that there was a degree of eclecticism in the religiospiritual concepts expressed by participants. 32 In a comparative study of cancer survivors and hospice patients, McGrath concluded that maintaining an intimate connection with life through family, friends, leisure, home, and work was just as important to individuals as transcendent meaning-making, religious or otherwise. 33 Palliative care researchers have increasingly recognized the importance of examining spiritual dimensions of end-of-life experience.…”