. Amir Musarezaie; . Homayoon Naji-Esfahani; . Tahere Momeni-Ghale ghasemi; . Jahangir Karimian; . Amroallah Ebrahimi
Volume 3, Issue 7 , July 2013, , Pages 1-7
Abstract
Background: Spiritual well‑being is well‑recognized as a factor that affects cancer patients’quality of life, quality of care, and satisfaction. There is evidence that supports ...
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Background: Spiritual well‑being is well‑recognized as a factor that affects cancer patients’quality of life, quality of care, and satisfaction. There is evidence that supports the fact thatpatients’ spiritual needs are associated with better quality of care, higher hospice utilization,and less aggressive care at the end of life. However, few studies have examined the Spiritualwell‑being (SWB) in cancer patients. Less is known about spirituality; furthermore, no publishedresearch about SWB and its relationship with demographic parameters in breast cancerpatients exists; this made us carry out this project. Materials and Methods: This cross‑sectionalstudy was a descriptive – analytical one, conducted on 297 breast cancer patients, witha simple sampling methodology. The data collection instrument included a questionnairecontaining two parts (demographic information and standard SWB Scale questionnaire). Thedata were analyzed with 95% confidence by SPSS18, using descriptive and analytic statistics.Results: According to the results of the present study, SWB of most of the study subjects (52.52%)was at a moderate level. Results showed that the average score for religious aspect of spiritualwell‑being (RWB) was 51.38 ± 8.17 for 60, average score for the existential aspect of spiritualwell‑being (EWB) was 42.47 ± 10.21 for 60, and the total score of SWB was 93.69 ± 10.04 for 120.Based on the study findings, there was a statistically significant correlation between the SWB andage (P = 0.03, r = 0.59), educational level (P = 0.04, r = −0.58), and marital status (P = 0.001), ofbreast cancer patients. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, the SWB ofmost study subjects was at a moderate level. Furthermore, according to the results there was acorrelation between some important demographic parameters in women with breast cancer andSWB. Hence, it is necessary for the treatment team to assess and improve the SWB of patients;meanwhile the role of nurses is highlighted. In fact, the nurse is the first person who can recognizethe spiritual needs of a patient and even his/her family, and can be effective in meeting the spiritualneeds and improving their SWB. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that in patients with cancer,a holistic care plan, based on spiritual care, development, and education of patients be applied, asit is considered to improve their SWB.
