title: Religiousness and hope in Hispanic- and Anglo-American women with breast cancer.
abstract: Religiousness has been associated with coping with cancer in the general population, but cultural influences have not been well explicated. The purpose of this study was to compare a sample of Hispanic-American women to a matched sample of Anglo-American women on selected religious variables and on a measure of hope. A sample of 25 Hispanic and 25 Anglo women diagnosed with breast cancer completed a hope scale, a spiritual well-being scale, and a religiousness scale and responded to selected demographic and medical questions. The only significant difference between the two groups was in intrinsic religiousness, with Hispanic women scoring higher (t = 2.07, df = 24, p < 0.05). Among Hispanics, neither intrinsic nor extrinsic religiousness was more important in predicting either existential well-being or hope. However, intrinsic religiousness was a more important predictor of religious well-being and total spiritual well-being than was extrinsic religiousness. Among Anglos, intrinsic religiousness was a stronger predictor of spiritual well-being and of hope. Religiousness may be an important variable affecting both the spiritual and the psychological health of women with breast cancer; this study also suggests cultural differences.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mickley
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Soeken
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012067:Religion; D015206:Southwestern United States; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*