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The religiousness as a way of coping with anxiety in women with breast cancer at different disease stages

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Abstract

Background

Anxiety is an unpleasant emotion affecting patients with cancer, and there are various ways of coping with it. Little is known about the relationship between the anxiety level and physical, somatic or spiritual (e.g. religiousness) factors in breast cancer patients at different stages of the disease.

Objectives

The purpose of the study was to assess the intensity of anxiety at different stages of breast cancer, to define the relationship between religiousness and physical (somatic) condition and anxiety in the study subjects and to find out if religiousness is an effective coping strategy at any breast cancer stage.

Materials and methods

The study involved 180 women aged between 28 and 77, who were qualified to one of five study groups, according to their disease stage. The following research instruments were used: the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Scale of Personal Religiousness, the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist as well as medical history and data from patients’ medical records.

Results

There is a significant correlation between state anxiety and trait anxiety measured by STAI in study groups. Breast cancer stage differentiates the study groups in respect of revealed anxiety level. Somatic condition has no significant impact on the intensity of anxiety in terminal breast cancer patients. Amongst the studied variables, only religiousness is an important factor that influences the anxiety level of end-stage cancer patients.

Conclusions

The obtained results allow us to conclude that: (a) religiousness is an effective factor of coping with anxiety only of the end-stage breast cancer patients; (b) cancer stage is a differentiating factor in respect of revealed anxiety level in study subjects; (c) exacerbation of somatic symptoms does not influence the anxiety level in terminal cancer patients and at disease-free period.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Palliative Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-211, Gdańsk, Poland

    Justyna Janiszewska, Tomasz Buss, Monika Lichodziejewska-Niemierko & Aleksandra Modlińska

  2. Department of Research on Quality of Life, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland

    Mikołaj Majkowicz

  3. Department of Nursing, Baltic Higher School of Humanities, Koszalin, Poland

    Krystyna de Walden-Gałuszko

Authors
  1. Justyna Janiszewska
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  2. Tomasz Buss
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  3. Krystyna de Walden-Gałuszko
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  4. Mikołaj Majkowicz
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  5. Monika Lichodziejewska-Niemierko
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  6. Aleksandra Modlińska
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Correspondence to Justyna Janiszewska.

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Janiszewska, J., Buss, T., de Walden-Gałuszko, K. et al. The religiousness as a way of coping with anxiety in women with breast cancer at different disease stages. Support Care Cancer 16, 1361–1366 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-008-0437-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-008-0437-x

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