Association between Spirituality, Religiosity, and Breast Cancer Treatment

Abstract To assess the degree of spirituality and religiosity in patients with breast cancer and its relationship with treatment, the Spiritual/Religious Coping (SRCOPE) scale and World Health Organization's Quality of Life Instrument – Spirituality, Religion and Personal Beliefs Module (WHOQOL-SRPB) questionnaires were applied to 49 patients. For 91.9% of the patients, there was a contribution of faith to their well-being and the connection with a spiritual being helped them tolerate the stress. There were correlations between axillary lymph node dissection and religious actions toward spirituality (p = 0.024), adjuvant chemotherapy and hope/optimism (p = 0.02), and immediate reconstructive surgery and a search for meaning (p = 0.005) and support (p = 0.032). In conclusion, identifying the religious and spiritual needs of patients might promote better quality of life during cancer treatment.