Religious Coping and Quality of Life Among Black and White Men With Prostate Cancer

Abstract

<jats:p> Prostate cancer is a significant impediment in men’s lives as this condition often exacerbates stress and reduces quality of life. Faith can be a resource through which men cope with health crises; however, few studies examine how religion or spirituality can have implications for racial disparities in health outcomes among men. The purpose of this study is to assess the associations between religious coping and quality of life among black and white men with prostate cancer. Data for this investigation were drawn from the Diagnosis and Decisions in Prostate Cancer Treatment Outcomes Study that consisted of 624 black and white men with complete information on the primary outcome and predictor variables. The primary outcome for this study was overall quality of life as measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate questionnaire. The main independent variable was religious coping measured by 2 subscales capturing positive and negative forms of coping. Black men in the study had lower overall quality of life scores (134.6 ± 19.6) than their white peers (139.8 ± 14.1). Black men in the sample also had higher average positive religious coping scores (12.9 ± 3.3) than white men (10.3 ± 4.5). Fully adjusted linear regression models of the total sample produced results indicating that positive religious coping was correlated with an increase in quality of life (β = .38, standard error [SE] = 0.18, P &lt; .05). Negative religious coping was associated with a reduction in quality of life (β = −1.48, SE = 0.40, P &lt; .001). Faith-oriented beliefs or perceptions can have implications for quality of life among men with prostate cancer. Sensitivity to the role of religion, spirituality, and faith should be seen by providers of health care as potential opportunities for improved outcomes in patients with prostate cancer and survivors. </jats:p>

What contributes to COVID-19 online disinformation among Black Canadians: a qualitative study

“…Further, religion plays a notable role in the Black communities, rendering the religious institutions essential resources for health care interventions within the Black communities. 25 – 27 …”

Religious service attendance and mortality among older Black men

“…Black men tend to have an earlier onset of chronic diseases, more aggressive disease progression, and more complications than other groups of men. Chronic disease can present multiple stressors including burdensome therapeutic protocols and the loss of income, productivity, and quality of life [21,44]. It has been suggested that religious settings and services present opportunities for individuals to have spiritually enriching experiences and to receive emotional support and affirmative messages useful for coping with the uncertainty, vulnerability, hopelessness, fear, anger, and particularly depression that can accompany chronic conditions [21,26,45].…”

“…Chronic disease can present multiple stressors including burdensome therapeutic protocols and the loss of income, productivity, and quality of life [21,44]. It has been suggested that religious settings and services present opportunities for individuals to have spiritually enriching experiences and to receive emotional support and affirmative messages useful for coping with the uncertainty, vulnerability, hopelessness, fear, anger, and particularly depression that can accompany chronic conditions [21,26,45]. Religious institutions can also be sources of social and economic support to obtain important health information and services [9,46,47].…”

“…Such practices, often referred to as religiosity, tend to be associated with social, doctrinal, and denominational characteristics of an organized religion [19,20]. Religious institutions under Black leadership are organizations in which Black men have been welcomed and serve as safe places for them to receive spiritual, social, emotional, and economic resources to help them cope with hostile and stressful social environments [9,21]. Attending religious services is a common form of religiosity among individuals later in the life [22][23][24].…”

Repercussões do câncer na qualidade de vida de homens em tratamento quimioterápico

“…Outrossim, pesquisa realizada nos Estados Unidos com 624 homens com câncer de próstata, evidenciou que o enfrentamento religioso positivo esteve relacionado à melhoria da qualidade de vida 26 , o que salienta que a espiritualidade, religiosidade e crenças pessoais são ferramentas significativas no processo de cura dos pacientes, tendo em vista que por meio da fé gerada por essas facetas são alcançados efeitos benéficos no enfrentamento da doença, na melhora da autoestima, nos sentimentos positivos e no desejo de fazer coisas novas, sendo a dimensão espiritual uma ferramenta inerente aos sujeitos, uma fonte de esperança importante para aliviar o sofrimento e proporcionar maior conforto. 27,28 Quanto às facetas que foram mais bem avaliadas no domínio Relações Sociais encontraram-se a das Relações pessoais (76,22) e Suporte e apoio pessoal (73,77).…”