Abstract
Purpose Individuals diagnosed and treated for cancer often report high levels of distress, continuing even after successful treatment. Spiritual well-being (SpWB) has been identified as an important factor associated with positive health outcomes. This study had two aims: (1) examine the associations between SpWB (faith and meaning/peace) and health-related quality of life (HRQL) outcomes and (2) examine competing hypotheses of whether the relationship among distress, SpWB, and HRQL is better explained by a stress-buffering (i.e., interaction) or a direct (main effects) model. Methods Study 1 consisted of 258 colorectal cancer survivors (57% men) recruited from comprehensive cancer centers in metropolitan areas (age, M=61; months post-diagnosis, M=17). Study 2 consisted of 568 colorectal cancer survivors (49% men) recruited from a regional cancer registry (age, M=67; months post-diagnosis,M=19). Participants completed measures of SpWB (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-Sp)) and HRQL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Colorectal) in both studies. Measures of general distress (Profile of Mood States-Short Form) and cancer-specific distress were also completed in study 1 and study 2, respectively. Results After controlling for demographic and clinical variables, faith and meaning/peace were positively associated with HRQL. However, meaning/peace emerged as a more robust predictor of HRQL outcomes than faith. Planned analyses supported a direct rather than stress-buffering effect of meaning/peace. Conclusions This study provides further evidence of the importance of SpWB, particularly meaning/peace, to HRQL for people with colorectal cancer. Future studies of SpWB and cancer should examine domains of the FACITSp separately and explore the viability of meaning-based interventions for cancer survivors.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 757-764 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Supportive Care in Cancer |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2011 |
Funding
Grant support This research was supported by the National Cancer Institute (5 R01 CA61679), the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Special Study program (NO1-PC-65107), and by an unrestricted educational grant from Ortho-Biotech, Inc. J.M.Salsman(*) . D. Cella Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, 625 North Michigan Ave., 27th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611, USA e-mail: [email protected]
Keywords
- Cancer
- Faith
- Meaning
- Peace
- Quality of life
- Spiritual well-being
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Oncology