Spirituality and Religious Orientation in Relation to Posttraumatic Growth in Cancer Patients

Abstract

The main objective of the present study is to explore the posttraumatic growth of cancer patients in relation to their religious orientation and spirituality. A partial objective is to look for differences in posttraumatic growth between religious and non-religious cancer patients as well as between patients undergoing treatment at time of the study and cured patients. Two hundred cancer patients participated at the research divided into two groups. The first group included hundred cancer patients undergoing treatment at the time. The second group comprised hundred cancer survivors. Two methods were applied, the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) of Tedeschi and Calhoun, along with the Swedish Religious Orientation Scale (SROS) created by Allport and Ross. The results of the study confirmed the existence of a relationship between posttraumatic growth and religious orientation in cancer patients. We also found a higher level of posttraumatic growth in religious cancer patients than in the non-religious ones. The higher level of posttraumatic growth was also found in cancer survivors in comparison to cancer patients who were undergoing treatment at the time.

Keywords

• religious orientation
• spirituality
• posttraumatic growth
• cancer survivors