Religiosity and death anxiety among cancer patients: the mediating role of religious comfort and struggle (original) (raw)
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Journal of Religion and Health, 2022
Cancers are globally prevalent often life-threatening diseases that carry an immense psychological burden such as death anxiety. Thus, identifying protective psychological factors affecting death anxiety in individuals with cancer is of strong relevance. This study investigated the potential mediating role of hope in the relationship between religious orientation and death anxiety in Iranian patients with cancer. A cross-sectional design was used to evaluate death anxiety, hope, and religious orientation in a convenience sample of 320 patients (age range 18-89 years) with cancer. Measures included demographic factors, health characteristics, and validated instruments of the study constructs. Path analysis was used to evaluate mediation models. The findings indicated a direct path from intrinsic religious orientation (β = − 0.122, p < 0.001) to death anxiety and a direct path from hope (β = − 0.258, p < 0.001) to death anxiety. However, when hope was introduced as a mediating variable, the relationship between intrinsic religious orientation and death anxiety became nonsignificant (β = 0.001, p = 0.983). In this study, hope largely explained the relationship between intrinsic religiosity and death anxiety. In countries such as Iran where religiosity is an important psychological construct, greater hope among the more intrinsically religious may help to explain why more deeply religious persons experience less anxiety.
Spirituality and Religiosity: Relative Relationships to Death Anxiety
OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying, 1994
To assess the relative contributions of spirituality and religiosity to levels of death anxiety, the Templer Death Anxiety Scale (TDAS) [1] and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) [2] were administered to 134 female and seventy-four male undergraduate college students. Results of a stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed that spirituality has a significant negative relationship with death anxiety, i.e., as the degree of certainty with respect to life after death, greater levels of satisfaction with life, and greater feelings of purpose in life increase, levels of death anxiety decrease. No significant relationship was revealed between religiosity and death anxiety. Taken together, these findings suggest that the inconsistency in research findings concerning the relationship between religiosity and death anxiety may be accounted for by the variable of spirituality. An additional finding was that female participants reported higher levels of death anxiety than males.
The religious correlates of death anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Various theories of religion hypothesize a connection between death anxiety and religiosity. In particular, Terror Management Theory’s worldview defence hypothesis predicts that death anxiety is lowest among very religious and irreligious individuals, and highest among uncertain individuals. Likewise, the supposition that death anxiety motivates religious belief, which in turn mitigates death anxiety, predicts that religiosity increases with death anxiety among non-believers, and that death anxiety decreases as religiosity increases among believers. In both cases, a curvilinear relationship – specifically, an inverted-U curve – is predicted. We extracted 202 effect sizes from 100 studies for an “omnibus” religiosity meta-analysis, and six meta-analyses that examine particular dimensions of religiosity. We found high heterogeneity and a weak negative association between death anxiety and religiosity. A closer examination revealed that 10 of the 11 studies that directly tested for curvilinearity provided some support for an inverted-U pattern. The curvilinearity hypothesis cannot be ruled out, but more evidence – particularly on non-religious individuals, and in non-Western, non-Abrahamic contexts – is needed.
Religiosity, pain and depression in advanced cancer patients
Objective The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between religiosity, depression and pain in advanced cancer patients admitted in hospice. Methods 115 patients with a life expectancy of less than 4 months were interviewed with a series of standardized instruments, including the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and religious data were gathered through a semi-structured oral interview. Results High religiosity was associated with a significantly lower prevalence of depression, but religion was not related to pain perception. Depression was found associated with a higher pain level and the subgroup of breast cancer patients, associated to high private religious activity, was significantly less likely to be depressed. Conclusions This study highlighted the importance of religious practice for many advanced cancer patients admitted in Italian hospices and suggested the utility of incorporating religious beliefs and practice into palliative care approaches.
Psycho-Oncology, 2019
Objective: Religiosity is an important source of consolation among individuals suffering from cancer. However, religion does not always bring comfort. Religious struggles elicit stress. We examined whether religious comfort predicts anxiety in patients diagnosed as having cancer. Hope was examined as a mediator and religious struggle as a moderator in this relationship. Methods: In this cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical research, 77 Polish women with cancer were selected using sequential convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Religious Comfort and Strain Scale, the Adult Hope Scale, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. A statistical procedure using Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression was employed. Results: Religious comfort correlated negatively with anxiety (.007) and positively with hope (.006). Hope correlated negatively with anxiety (.011). Hope was a mediator in the relationship between religious comfort and anxiety: indirect effect (IE) = −0.07; 90% CI, −0.161 to −0.001. Patients who derive more comfort from religion feel stronger hope and, consequently, lower anxiety. The index of moderated mediation (IMM) was significant when we introduced fear-guilt as a moderator: IMM = 0.07; 90% CI, 0.001-0.007. Thus, the effect of religious comfort on anxiety reduction through hope is bigger if the experience of religious fear-guilt is smaller. Conclusions: Religion appears to protect against developing anxiety because it enhances hope. However, religious guilt can stop cancer patients from using their religious resources.
The Relationship Between Religious Attitudes and Death Anxiety in the Elderly People
Journal of Research & Health, 2020
Background: Late adulthood, as a sensitive life period of humans, requires unique attention. Elderly people are faced with challenging conditions, including death anxiety. This research aimed to investigate the relationship between religious attitudes and death anxiety in the elderly population of Gonabad City, South Khorasan Province, Iran. Methods: It was a cross-sectional and correlational study. The study sample included 200 adults older than 60 years. The sample is collected from the adult population of Gonabad City using the random sampling method. The obtained data were analyzed with G Power 3.0.10 software. The religious attitudes questionnaire of Khodayarifard et al. was used to evaluate four religiosity dimensions: religious convictions, affections, behaviors, and social pretensions. A high score in each subscale implies greater religiosity tendencies. The Templer questionnaire was also used to assess the anxiety of death. This questionnaire includes the fear of death; the fear of pain and disease; the thoughts of death, passing time, and shortening life; and the fear of the future. The data were analyzed with the Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman tests. Results: The religious attitudes were inversely correlated with death anxiety. This implies that the anxiety has decreased as religious attitudes have increased. This research showed a relationship between death anxiety and the population variables (education level, the source of revenue, etc.) This study also indicated a connection between religious attitudes and population variables (marital status, educational level, the source of revenue, lifestyle, and financial status). Conclusion: According to the present findings, a better religious approach could improve mental health and decrease death anxiety among elderly people.
Research Paper: The Relationship Between Religious Attitudes and Death Anxiety in the Elderly People
Background: Late adulthood, as a sensitive life period of humans, requires unique attention. Elderly people are faced with challenging conditions, including death anxiety. This research aimed to investigate the relationship between religious attitudes and death anxiety in the elderly population of Gonabad City, South Khorasan Province, Iran. Methods: It was a cross-sectional and correlational study. The study sample included 200 adults older than 60 years. The sample is collected from the adult population of Gonabad City using the random sampling method. The obtained data were analyzed with G Power 3.0.10 software. The religious attitudes questionnaire of Khodayarifard et al. was used to evaluate four religiosity dimensions: religious convictions, affections, behaviors, and social pretensions. A high score in each subscale implies greater religiosity tendencies. The Templer questionnaire was also used to assess the anxiety of death. This questionnaire includes the fear of death; the fear of pain and disease; the thoughts of death, passing time, and shortening life; and the fear of the future. The data were analyzed with the Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman tests. Results: The religious attitudes were inversely correlated with death anxiety. This implies that the anxiety has decreased as religious attitudes have increased. This research showed a relationship between death anxiety and the population variables (education level, the source of revenue, etc.) This study also indicated a connection between religious attitudes and population variables (marital status, educational level, the source of revenue, lifestyle, and financial status). Conclusion: According to the present findings, a better religious approach could improve mental health and decrease death anxiety among elderly people.
Religiosity and Death Anxiety: A Study of Muslim Dars Attendees
Journal of Religion and Health, 2019
Dars is usually considered a religious lecture or activity where attendees spend much time in search of Islamic information, which often keeps the attendees away from negative thinking. Religious directions, belief salience, spiritual activities and practices are significant assets for dealing with difficult situations and odds of life. Death anxiety can increase the vulnerability of development of any psychological illness. Therefore, it is vital to study whether religiosity can serve as a buffering agent to death anxiety. The objective of our study was to examine the relationship between religiosity and death anxiety among Muslim dars attendees. We also aimed to investigate the gender-based differences in religiosity and death anxiety among Muslim dars attendees. A purposive sample of 200 adults (male n = 100 and female n = 100) with the age range of 20-60 years participated in the present study. The sample was collected from informal religious gatherings (dars) from Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The information was gathered through self-reporting questionnaires, death anxiety scale and index of religiosity. The questionnaires were in Urdu (native language) for ease and convenience of the respondents. Variable correlation analysis and t test was applied statistically through SPSS 21 version. The findings of the study indicate that there is a significant negative relationship between religiosity and death anxiety. Results also revealed that there is insignificant difference in religiosity between male and female Muslim adults. Results also specified that the level of death anxiety is higher in female than in male Muslim adults. Religiosity has a significant inverse relationship with death anxiety, and this can be helpful in reducing the anxiety-related features. Being a trans-diagnostic construct, measures can be taken to control death anxiety in order to enhance the mental well-being of masses. The present research also puts forward that the development of religious beliefs and interventions can help people to better adjust in life.
2021
Optimism and the practice of any religion are known to reduce depression and anxiety in cancer patients; however, in the present study, the specific role of Muslim religiosity, optimism, depression, and death anxiety in cancer patients has been explored. The sample of this study consists of 200 cancer patients from different hospitals of the districts Faisalabad and Lahore (Pakistan). The sample's average age was 26.6 years. Parallel mediation findings show that optimism and depression are significant mediators between Muslim religiosity and death anxiety among cancer patients. Muslim religiosity is positively associated with optimism, and it helps to decrease the level of death anxiety, while depression is negatively associated with Muslim religiosity, and high depression increases the death anxiety level of cancer patients. In conclusion, Muslim religiosity and optimism play significant roles in managing depressive symptoms and death anxiety among cancer patients.