title: Relationships of age and gender to hope and spiritual well-being among adolescents with cancer.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine hope and spiritual well-being, with its 2 dimensions of religious well-being and existential well-being, as they relate to age and gender among adolescents with cancer. A cross-sectional design was guided by the conceptual framework, Adolescent Psychosocial Adaptation to the Cancer Experience. A total of 78 adolescents with a diagnosis of cancer were enrolled from 2 pediatric oncology clinics. Middle adolescents (15-17 years of age) reported higher religious well-being than late adolescents (18-20 years of age). Middle-adolescent boys were more hopeful than were early adolescent boys (13- 14 years of age). Also, girls were more hopeful and reported higher spiritual well-being than age the boys. Developmental phase and/or gender may influence adolescents' levels of hope, spiritual well-being, religious well-being, and existential well-being as they cope during the cancer experience. The nurse should consider developmental phase and gender when planning interventions to foster hope and spiritual well-being in adolescents' adaptations to the cancer experience.
authors.affiliation: Barnes-Jewish College of Nursing, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. vlf7549@bjc.org
authors.forename: Verna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hendricks-Ferguson
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D005086:Existentialism / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009013:Morale; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009859:Oncology Nursing; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D029181:Spirituality