The Impact of a Breast Cancer Diagnosis on Religious/Spiritual Beliefs and Practices in the UK

The use of religious/spiritual resources may increase when dealing with the stress of a cancer diagnosis. However, there has been very little research conducted into changes in religious/spiritual beliefs and practices as a result of a cancer diagnosis outside the USA. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of a breast cancer diagnosis on patients’ religious/spiritual beliefs and practices in the UK where religious practice is different. The study used two methods. One compared the religious/spiritual beliefs and practices of 202 patients newly diagnosed with breast cancer with those of a control group of healthy women (n = 110). The other examined patients’ perceived change in religious/spiritual beliefs and practices at the time of surgery with those in the year prior to surgery. The aspects of religiousness/spirituality assessed were: levels of religiosity/spirituality, strength of faith, belief in God as well as private and public practices. Patient’s perceived their belief in God, strength of faith and private religious/spiritual practices to have significantly increased shortly after surgery compared with the year prior to surgery. However, there were no significant differences in religious/spiritual beliefs and practices between patients and healthy participants. Change scores demonstrated both a reduction and an increase in religious/spiritual beliefs and practices. Although belief in God, strength of faith and private religious/spiritual practices were perceived by patients to be significantly higher after their cancer diagnosis, no significant differences in religious/spiritual beliefs and practices were found between the cancer group at the time of surgery and the control group. Different methodologies appear to produce different results and may explain contradictions in past US studies. Limitations of this study are discussed and suggestions for future research are made.     

Exploring the Spiritual/Religious Dimension of Patients: A Timely Opportunity for Personal and Professional Reflection for Graduating Medical Students

Teaching about spirituality in medical school training is lacking. Spirituality is a dimension of humanity that can put experiences of health and illness into a meaningful context. Medical students might benefit from understanding how spirituality is an important element in learning to care for patients. Spirituality also provides a context for medical students to explore their own motivations for doctoring. This article describes a longitudinal senior elective course at the end of their medical school training to delve into matters of religion/spirituality surrounding patient care. The authors pose their own perspectives on what both students and faculty gained from the experience.     

Moderating Effects of Religious/Spiritual Coping in the Relation Between Perceived Stress and Psychological Well-Being

Although the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms is well documented, less is known about the role of coping strategies, in particular strategies for coping via religious or spiritual means. To investigate the relationships among these factors, data was collected with questionnaires completed by 127 MSW students at a northeastern university in 2003. Significant Stress×Religious/Spiritual Coping buffer interactions were found in the relationship between stress and depression. EQS 6.1 and hierarchical moderated regression analysis showed that religious/spiritual coping reduced the impact of stress on depression. Implications for practice are discussed.     

Spiritual and Religious Attitudes in Dealing with Illness in Polish Patients with Chronic Diseases: Validation of the Polish Version of the SpREUK Questionnaire

Although providing religious/spiritual (SpR) support to sick has received in Poland growing attention in the scientific literature, little has been written about how to measure whether patients are in search for SpR or may already have trust in such a resource helpful to cope with disease. The Polish version of the SpREUK questionnaire was validated in a sample of 275 patients with chronic diseases. Both explorative and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the already established three subscales, i.e., Search, Trust, and Reflection, with good internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach’s α between .74 and .91). The instrument appears to be a good choice to be used in both secular and religious societies.     

The Importance of Spiritual Consumption,Religious Expression and Subjective Well-Being among Christians in the US during COVID-19

Journal of Religion and Health - Uncertainty, fear, and distress have become prevalent in the lives of U.S. residents since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The unpredictable reality of...     

Psychometric Properties of a Persian Version of the SpREUK-P Questionnaire: An Instrument for Measuring the Importance and Frequency of Spiritual/Religious Practices in Iranian Patients with Chronic Gastrointestinal Diseases

Journal of Religion and Health - Attention to spiritual and religious issues is considered an important therapeutic method for patients with chronic disorders. This study aimed to assess the...     

中国宗教学会第五次全国会议暨21世纪的宗教研究学术研讨会在京召开

２００１年８月工日至３日中国宗教学会第五次全国会议暨“２１世纪的宗教研究”学术研讨会在北京隆重召开,共有来自中央国家机关和各地党政军有关部门、教学科研机构、宗教团体以及一些企事业单位的专业或业余宗教研究人员近２００人参加了本次会议。会议的主要议题是修改学会章程,改革学会领导机制,遴选中国宗教学会第四届理事会,组成新一届的领导成员,以此促进中国宗教学会在新世纪发挥更大的作用,推进中国宗教研究的更大发展。 会议于８月１日上午开幕,中国社会科学院学术委员会委员、中国宗教学会常务副会长戴康生主持开幕式并…     

The Effect of COVID -19 Crisis on Hopelessness,Loneliness and Spiritual Well-Being of Patients with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes in Turkey

Journal of Religion and Health - This study aims to examine the relationship between the levels of hopelessness, loneliness, and spiritual well-being of patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes...     

Cultural Influences in the Aetiological Beliefs of Saudi Arabian Primary Care Patients About Their Symptoms: The Association of Religious and Psychological Beliefs

Objective To develop a self-report questionnaire to measure the beliefs of Arabic primary care patients about the causes of their physical symptoms; to use this to quantify the beliefs of patients consulting their general practitioners (GPs) in Saudi Arabia; and to test whether patients with psychological problems differ from others in their beliefs, particularly religious and supernatural beliefs. Methods Consecutive patients (N = 224) completed a specially developed aetiological beliefs’ questionnaire. Patients were divided into two groups (cases and non-cases of emotional disorder) according to the GHQ-12. Results Religious and supernatural aspects of culture colour patients’ symptom beliefs: that their symptoms were a test or punishment from Allah’ was the most common belief. Even in non-cases, around half the patients also endorsed nerves and stress as a cause of their physical symptoms. Cases were more likely than non-cases to endorse items related to both religious and psychological factors. Conclusion There is no support for the view that Saudi Arabian patients explain symptoms supernaturally as a way of denying psychological factors. GPs and health professionals in Saudi primary care need to understand what patients believe to be the cause of their problems and to appreciate that religious and psychological beliefs are both very common. GPs should address psychological beliefs and concerns even with those patients who present physical symptoms.     

垂体腺瘤诊疗过程中应重视对垂体腺瘤患者生命质量评估

垂体腺瘤是一种常见的颅内神经内分泌肿瘤,约占颅内肿瘤的10%～15%,常伴有不同程度的肿瘤占住效应(头痛、视力受损等)、功能性腺瘤引起的激素水平过高和正常垂体受压破坏引起的垂体功能低下等症状,因此多数患者的生命质量受到影响.随着生物-心理-社会医学模式理念的逐步深入,除了关注患者的内分泌紊乱、肿瘤大小以及肿瘤引起的症状外,患者的生命质量也应该受到密切关注.本文将针对国内外对垂体腺瘤患者生命质量评估的相关进展进行综述.     

垂体腺瘤诊疗过程中应重视对垂体腺瘤患者生命质量评估

垂体腺瘤是一种常见的颅内神经内分泌肿瘤,约占颅内肿瘤的10%~15%,常伴有不同程度的肿瘤占位效应(头痛、视力受损等)、功能性腺瘤引起的激素水平过高和正常垂体受压破坏引起的垂体功能低下等症状,因此多数患者的生命质量受到影响。随着生物-心理-社会医学模式理念的逐步深入,除了关注患者的内分泌紊乱、肿瘤大小以及肿瘤引起的症状外,患者的生命质量也应该受到密切关注。本文将针对国内外对垂体腺瘤患者生命质量评估的相关进展进行综述。     

Religious Diversity in a “Christian Nation”: The Effects of Theological Exclusivity and Interreligious Contact on the Acceptance of Religious Diversity

Using data from the nationally representative Religion and Diversity Survey, Americans’ responses to religious diversity are examined at the national and community levels. While an overwhelming majority of Americans agree that religious diversity has been good for the nation, support for the inclusion of non‐Christians in community life is mixed. Theological exclusivism is consistently and strongly associated with negative attitudes toward religious diversity and less willingness to include Muslims and Hindus in community life. Belief that the United States is a Christian nation is associated with a positive view of religious diversity but decreased willingness to include Muslims in community life. Prior contact with Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus is predictive of more positive views of religious diversity; contact with Muslims is associated with greater tolerance for a mosque in one's community.     

替罗非班以及不同给药途径对AMI患者PCI术后sICAM-1的影响

探讨替罗非班以及不同给药途径对急性心肌梗死（AMI）患者经皮冠状动脉介入术（PCI）后可溶性细胞间粘附因子-1（sICAM-1）的影响.选择AMI直接PCI患者90例随机分成A、B、C三组：A组不给予替罗非班;B组PCI术后静脉给予替罗非班,C组PCI术中对梗死相关冠状动脉（IRA）内注射替罗非班,两组均静脉滴注36h;分别检测三组术前及术后24h血浆sICAM-1的浓度水平.结果显示,A组PCI术后24h血浆sICAM-1的浓度水平较术前高,而B、C两组较术前均降低,差异有统计学意义（P＆lt;0.05）,但B、C两组PCI术后差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）.因此,对于行PCI术的AMI患者应给予替罗非班,抑制术后炎症反应以及粘附反应,降低PCI术后再狭窄的发生率,但其作用效果与给药途径无关.     

心理护理干预对伴有焦虑/抑郁的COPD患者治疗周期及费用的影响

为了探讨心理护理干预对伴有焦虑/抑郁的慢性阻塞性肺病患者治疗周期及费用的影响,将100例COPD合并焦虑/抑郁的患者随机分为心理干预组和对照组,两组均给予常规药物治疗,干预组增加心理干预,结果显示与入院时比较,心理干预组HAD评分明显改善(P＜0.05),对照组HAD评分也存在差异,但差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).与对照组比较,干预组住院治疗周期明显缩短(P＜0.05),住院费用显著减少(P＜0.05).因此心理护理干预能改善COPD患者心理障碍,减少住院周期和费用,对COPD患者是较好的辅助治疗方法.