TY - JOUR
T1 - Seeking meaning and hope
T2 - Self-reported spiritual and existential needs among an ethnically-diverse cancer patient population
AU - Moadel, Alyson
AU - Morgan, Carole
AU - Fatone, Anne
AU - Grennan, Jennifer
AU - Carter, Jeanne
AU - Laruffa, Gia
AU - Skummy, Anne
AU - Dutcher, Janice
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2007 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1999/9
Y1 - 1999/9
N2 - Spiritual beliefs and practices are believed to promote adjustment to cancer through their effect on existential concerns, including one's personal search for the meaning of life and death, and hope. This study sought to identify the nature, prevalence, and correlates of spiritual/existential needs among an ethnically-diverse, urban sample of cancer patients (n = 248). Patients indicated wanting help with: overcoming my fears (51%), finding hope (42%), finding meaning in life (40%), finding spiritual resources (39%); or someone to talk to about: finding peace of mind (43%), the meaning of life (28%), and dying and death (25%). Patients (n = 71) reporting five or more spiritual/existential needs were more likely to be of Hispanic (61%) or African-American (41%) ethnicity (vs. 25% White; p < 0.001), more recently diagnosed (mean = 25.6 vs. 43.7 months; p < 0.02), and unmarried (49% vs. 34%; p < 0.05), compared with those (n = 123) reporting two or fewer needs. Treatment status, cancer site, education, gender, age, and religion were not associated with level of needs endorsement. Discriminant analysis found minority status to be the best predictor of high needs endorsement, providing 65% correct classification, p < 0.001. Implications for the development and delivery of spiritual/existential interventions in a multi-ethnic oncology setting are discussed.
AB - Spiritual beliefs and practices are believed to promote adjustment to cancer through their effect on existential concerns, including one's personal search for the meaning of life and death, and hope. This study sought to identify the nature, prevalence, and correlates of spiritual/existential needs among an ethnically-diverse, urban sample of cancer patients (n = 248). Patients indicated wanting help with: overcoming my fears (51%), finding hope (42%), finding meaning in life (40%), finding spiritual resources (39%); or someone to talk to about: finding peace of mind (43%), the meaning of life (28%), and dying and death (25%). Patients (n = 71) reporting five or more spiritual/existential needs were more likely to be of Hispanic (61%) or African-American (41%) ethnicity (vs. 25% White; p < 0.001), more recently diagnosed (mean = 25.6 vs. 43.7 months; p < 0.02), and unmarried (49% vs. 34%; p < 0.05), compared with those (n = 123) reporting two or fewer needs. Treatment status, cancer site, education, gender, age, and religion were not associated with level of needs endorsement. Discriminant analysis found minority status to be the best predictor of high needs endorsement, providing 65% correct classification, p < 0.001. Implications for the development and delivery of spiritual/existential interventions in a multi-ethnic oncology setting are discussed.
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U2 - 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1611(199909/10)8:5<378::AID-PON406>3.0.CO;2-A
DO - 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1611(199909/10)8:5<378::AID-PON406>3.0.CO;2-A
M3 - Article
C2 - 10559797
AN - SCOPUS:0032695898
SN - 1057-9249
VL - 8
SP - 378
EP - 385
JO - Psycho-Oncology
JF - Psycho-Oncology
IS - 5
ER -