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Power of Religious Beliefs and Coping with Cancer: Opinions of Iranian Parents

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Abstract

Childhood cancer as a stressful event has many consequences for both the parents and their children. The aim of the study was to assess the coping strategies used by Iranian parents of children with cancer. The present study was conducted through convenience sampling with the participation of 205 parents with at least one child with cancer referred to the oncology ward, in the southeast of Iran. The Coping Health Inventory for Parents was used to measure parental coping strategies. Results showed that the highest and the lowest mean coping score belonged to the dimensions of social support and medical factors, respectively. Briefly, “Belief in God” and “Gratefulness for his Blessings” were the most helpful coping strategies among parents. Based on results of this study, it seems necessary for nurses to be aware of all aspects of human existence, including religion and spirituality as strong sources of power for parents to adapt with the illness of their child. Also, providing interventions to teach effective coping skills to parents may reduce their distress and improve their quality of life.

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Acknowledgements

The present study was derived from a nursing Ph.D. dissertation conducted at Kerman University of Medical Sciences carried out under the approval code of 96000109. The authors thank the Research and Technology Administration of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, for funding this thesis and Special thanks to all parents who participated in this study.

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  1. Nursing Research Center, Razi School of Nursing and Midwifery, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

    Fariba Mazhari, Masoud Rayyani, Sedigheh Iranmanesh & Sakineh Sabzevari

  2. Department of Fundamental Nursing, Geriatric Care Research Center, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran

    Shahin Heidari

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  1. Fariba Mazhari
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Correspondence to Masoud Rayyani.

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Mazhari, F., Rayyani, M., Iranmanesh, S. et al. Power of Religious Beliefs and Coping with Cancer: Opinions of Iranian Parents. J Relig Health 60, 2878–2891 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00959-8

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