title: Faith and mental health in an oncology population.
abstract: This study compares faith attitudes versus behaviors for their relationship to mental health in current cancer patients and survivors. This cross-sectional survey of ambulatory patients included Hodge's intrinsic religious motivation scale, Benson & Spilka's concept of God scale, frequency of prayer, and the mental health subscale of the MOS SF-36. One hundred and fifty-eighty patients, mostly women with breast cancer, completed questionnaires (92% return). Mental health was positively related to a concept of a loving God (P < .001) and negatively related to the concept of a stern God (P < .002). Mental health was unrelated to goal of treatment (cure vs. chemotherapy/palliation), frequency of prayer, intrinsic faith motivation, or physical pain. Viewing God as loving was strongly related to better mental health, even in the presence of a poor prognosis or pain.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA, USA. jmeisenhelder@mghihp.edu
authors.forename: Janice Bell
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Meisenhelder
authors.forename: Nancy J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Schaeffer
authors.forename: Jerry
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Younger
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lauria
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult