title: The impact of a spiritual legacy intervention in patients with brain cancers and other neurologic illnesses and their support persons.
abstract: The objectives were to assess the feasibility of using a novel, comprehensive chaplain-led spiritual life review interview to develop a personal Spiritual Legacy Document (SLD) for persons with brain tumors and other neurodegenerative diseases and to describe spiritual well-being (SWB), spiritual coping, and quality of life (QOL) of patients and their support persons (SP) before and after receipt of the SLD.
  
  
  
  Patient-SP pairs were enrolled over a 2-year period. Assessments included the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Expanded Version, Brief Religious Coping Scale, Brief COPE Inventory, and QOL Linear Analog Scale. Baseline assessments were completed prior to an audio-recorded spiritual life review interview with a chaplain.
  
  
  
  Thirty-two patient/SP pairs were enrolled; 27 completed baseline assessments and the interview. Twenty-four reviewed their SLD and were eligible for follow-up. A total of 15 patients and 12 SPs completed the 1-month follow-up; 10 patients and seven SPs completed the 3-month follow-up. Patients endorsed high levels of SWB and spiritual coping at baseline. Both patients and SPs evidenced improvement on several aspects of SWB, spiritual coping, and QOL at 1 month, but patients' decreased financial well-being was also observed. Patients and SPs demonstrated favorable changes in peacefulness and positive religious coping at both time points.
  
  
  
  A chaplain-led spiritual life review is a feasible intervention for patients with neurodegenerative disease and results in beneficial effects on patients and SPs. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: Chaplain Services, Mayo Clinic Rochester, 200 First Street SW EI 2-130, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Piderman
authors.affiliation: Division of Health Care Policy and Research, Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic Rochester, 200 First St. SW Charlton 6-235, Rochester, MN, USA, 55905.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Radecki Breitkopf
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics and Informatics, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Maria I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Lapid
authors.affiliation: Mayo Medical School, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Gracia M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Kwete
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Terin T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Sytsma
authors.affiliation: Chaplain Services, Mayo Clinic Rochester, 200 First Street SW EI 2-130, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Lovejoy
authors.affiliation: Chaplain Services, Mayo Clinic Rochester, 200 First Street SW EI 2-130, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Yoder
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Aminah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jatoi
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012944:Social Support; D029181:Spirituality
keywords: brain cancer; chaplain; life review; neurologic illness; spiritual legacy; spirituality