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“Oh, yeah, I’m getting closer to god”: spirituality and religiousness of family caregivers of cancer patients undergoing palliative care

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Abstract

Purpose

Within the cancer palliative care setting, where both patients and family caregivers (FCs) undergo a transition from the end of curative treatment to palliative therapy, spirituality and religiousness (S/R) may be a strategy to help the patients and FCs better cope with the disease, in addition to exerting a positive impact on symptoms, particularly emotional symptoms. The present study aimed to understand how S/R influence FCs of cancer patients undergoing palliative care.

Methods

This study was an exploratory and descriptive qualitative study. The qualitative approach to the data was based on Bardin’s content analysis technique. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ-32) was used in the description of the results. Thirty FCs of individuals with advanced cancer undergoing palliative care were included.

Results

Analysis of the FCs’ narratives indicated that the FCs considered that religiousness and faith in God or a Supreme Being provide them with the strength to cope with the suffering associated with the care of relatives with advanced cancer. Many FCs emphasized that talking about God was somehow comforting and made them feel at peace with themselves. Four categories were identified in the FCs’ narratives: (1) increase in faith and closeness to God becomes stronger, (2) rethink life issues, (3) negative interference in the extrinsic religiosity, and (4) quest for religiousness to gain strength or support. A conceptual framework was developed.

Conclusions

The results of the present study indicated that S/R are a coping strategy frequently used by FCs of individuals with advanced cancer. The perceptions of the FCs interviewed in the present study corresponded to the four distinct categories related to spirituality and religiousness.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) for funding the present study (FAPESP grant no. 2011/19312-7).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Author contributions

BSRP, CEP, and ALC conceived and designed the experiments. BSRP and CEP performed the experiments. BSRP and CEP analyzed the data. BSRP, CEP, GL, EMB, and ALC wrote the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oncology Post-Graduate Program (Stricto Sensu), Barretos Cancer Hospital, Barretos, São Paulo, Brazil

    Bianca Sakamoto Ribeiro Paiva, André Lopes Carvalho, Eliane Marçon Barroso & Carlos Eduardo Paiva

  2. Research Group on Palliative Care and Health-Related Quality of Life (GPQual), Barretos Cancer Hospital, Barretos, São Paulo, Brazil

    Bianca Sakamoto Ribeiro Paiva, André Lopes Carvalho, Eliane Marçon Barroso & Carlos Eduardo Paiva

  3. São Paulo Research Foundation, FAPESP, São Paulo, Brazil

    Bianca Sakamoto Ribeiro Paiva

  4. Head and Neck Department, Barretos Cancer Hospital, Barretos, São Paulo, Brazil

    André Lopes Carvalho

  5. Department of Internal Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Giancarlo Lucchetti

  6. Breast and Gynecology Division, Department of Clinical Oncology, Barretos Cancer Hospital, Barretos, São Paulo, Brazil

    Carlos Eduardo Paiva

  7. Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa–Pós-Graduação, Rua Antenor Duarte Villela, 1331, Barretos, São Paulo, 14784-400, Brazil

    Bianca Sakamoto Ribeiro Paiva

Authors
  1. Bianca Sakamoto Ribeiro Paiva
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  2. André Lopes Carvalho
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  3. Giancarlo Lucchetti
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  4. Eliane Marçon Barroso
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  5. Carlos Eduardo Paiva
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bianca Sakamoto Ribeiro Paiva.

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Paiva, B.S.R., Carvalho, A.L., Lucchetti, G. et al. “Oh, yeah, I’m getting closer to god”: spirituality and religiousness of family caregivers of cancer patients undergoing palliative care. Support Care Cancer 23, 2383–2389 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-015-2604-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-015-2604-1

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