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For many people, spirituality and religion have different meanings.
The terms spirituality and religion are often used in place of each other, but for many people they have different meanings. Religion may be defined as a specific set of beliefs and practices, usually associated with an organized group. Spirituality may be defined as an individual's sense of peace, purpose, and connection to others, and beliefs about the meaning of life. Spirituality may be found and expressed through an organized religion or in other ways. Many patients consider themselves both spiritual and religious. Some patients may consider themselves spiritual, but not religious. Other patients may consider themselves religious, but not spiritual.
Spiritual distress is unresolved religious or spiritual conflict and doubt.
A serious illness like cancer may challenge a patient's beliefs or religious values, resulting in high levels of spiritual distress. Some cancer patients may feel that cancer is a punishment by God or may suffer a loss of faith after being diagnosed.
Other patients may experience mild spiritual distress when coping with cancer. For example, when prayer is used as a coping method, some patients may worry about how to pray or may doubt their prayers are being answered.
Spiritual and religious well-being may be associated with improved quality of life.
It is not known for sure how spirituality is related to health. Some research shows that spiritual or religious beliefs and practices promote a positive mental attitude that may help a patient feel better. Spiritual and religious well-being may be associated with improved quality of life in the following ways:
Spiritual distress may contribute to poorer health outcomes.
High levels of spiritual distress may interfere with the patient's ability to cope with cancer and cancer treatment. This distress may contribute to poorer health outcomes and less satisfaction with life. Health care providers may encourage patients to seek advice from appropriate spiritual or religious leaders to help resolve their conflicts, which may improve their health, quality of life, and ability to cope.
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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A desire for hastened death is uncommon among patients with advanced cancer, despite considerable levels of pain and emotional distress, new research suggests.
"The desire for hastened death has been associated with depression, hopelessness, physical suffering, low social support, poor spiritual well being, and low self-esteem in a number of studies of patients at the end of life," researchers note in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.
For their research, Dr. Gary Rodin, of University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, had 326 adults with advanced gastrointestinal or lung cancer answer questions about pain, depression, hopelessness, social support, function, chronic illness, self-esteem, spiritual well-being, and attitudes toward hastened death.
All of them were expected to live at least 6 months. About 63 percent of these individuals were younger than age 65 years, 34 percent were recently diagnosed (within 6 months), and about 62 percent were receiving chemotherapy.
Overall, 51 percent of the group reported pain, with 17 percent rating their pain intensity as moderate to severe. Twenty-three percent reported elevated levels of depression and hopelessness.
Yet only 1.5 percent reported a strong desire to hasten death, the team found.
"The will to live tends to be preserved in cancer patients prior to the end of life, in spite of significant emotional and physical suffering," they conclude. "Further, identifying the desire for hastened death when it first occurs may lead to opportunities for therapeutic intervention."
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