Images of God in Relation to Coping Strategies of Palliative Cancer Patients

• Published in: Journal of pain and symptom management Vol. 40; no. 4; pp. 495 - 501
• Main Authors: van Laarhoven, Hanneke W.M., MD, PhD, Schilderman, Johannes, PhD, Vissers, Kris C., MD, PhD, FIPP, Verhagen, Constans A.H.H.V.M., MD, PhD, Prins, Judith, PhD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01-10-2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Aged; Anesthesia & Perioperative Care; Biological and medical sciences; Cancer; coping; Coping strategies; Female; God; Humans; images of God; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Moral aspects; Neoplasms - psychology; Pain Medicine; Palliative care; Palliative Care - psychology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Regression Analysis; Religion; Religion and Psychology; Religious aspects; Surveys and Questionnaires; Terminally Ill - psychology; Netherlands; Religion; images of God; palliative care; coping; Human; Palliative care; Coping; Malignant tumor; Image; Cancer
• ISSN: 0885-3924; 1873-6513
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2010.02.021

Abstract Context Religious coping is important for end-of-life treatment preferences, advance care planning, adjustment to stress, and quality of life. The currently available religious coping instruments draw on a religious and spiritual background that presupposes a very specific image of God, namely God as someone who personally interacts with people. However, according to empirical research, people may have various images of God that may or may not exist simultaneously. It is unknown whether one's belief in a specific image of God is related to the way one copes with a life-threatening disease. Objectives To examine the relation between adherence to a personal, a nonpersonal, and/or an unknowable image of God and coping strategies in a group of Dutch palliative cancer patients who were no longer receiving antitumor treatments. Methods In total, 68 palliative care patients completed and returned the questionnaires on Images of God and the COPE-Easy. Results In the regression analysis, a nonpersonal image of God was a significant positive predictor for the coping strategies seeking advice and information ( β = 0.339, P < 0.01), seeking moral support ( β = 0.262, P < 0.05), and denial ( β = 0.26, P < 0.05), and a negative predictor for the coping strategy humor ( β = −0.483, P < 0.01). A personal image of God was a significant positive predictor for the coping strategy turning to religion ( β = 0.608, P < 0.01). Age was the most important sociodemographic predictor for coping and had negative predictive value for seeking advice and information ( β = −0.268, P < 0.05) and seeking moral support ( β = −0.247, P < 0.05). Conclusion A nonpersonal image of God is a more relevant predictor for different coping strategies in Dutch palliative cancer patients than a personal or an unknowable image of God.