Spiritual needs of patients with chronic pain diseases and cancer - validation of the spiritual needs questionnaire

European Journal of Medical Research

P Heusser³  HJ Balzat¹  A Büssing² 

[1] Pain Outpatient Clinic, Community Hospital Herdecke, Germany;Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Witten/Herdecke, Germany;Institute for Complementary Medicine (KIKOM), University of Bern, Switzerland

关键词: validation;    questionnaire;    spirituality;    chronic diseases;    Spiritual needs;   

Others  :  1093104
DOI  :  10.1186/2047-783X-15-6-266

 received in 2009-11-10, accepted in 2010-05-14,  发布年份 2010

【 摘 要 】

Purpose

For many patients confronted with chronic diseases, spirituality/religiosity is a relevant resource to cope. While most studies on patients' spiritual needs refer to the care of patients at the end of life, our intention was to develop an instrument to measure spiritual, existential and psychosocial need of patients with chronic diseases.

Methods

In an anonymous cross-sectional survey, we applied the Spiritual Needs Questionnaire (SpNQ version 1.2.) to 210 patients (75% women, mean age 54 ± 12 years) with chronic pain conditions (67%), cancer (28%), other chronic conditions (5%). Patients were recruited at the Community Hospital Herdecke, the Institute for Complementary Medicine (University of Bern), and at a conference of a cancer support group in Herten.

Results

Factor analysis of the 19-item instrument (Cronbach's alpha = .93) pointed to 4 factors which explain 67% of variance: Religious Needs, Need for Inner Peace, Existentialistic Needs (Reflection/Meaning), and Actively Giving. Within the main sample of patients with chronic pain and cancer, Needs for Inner Peace had the highest scores, followed by Self competent Attention; Existentialistic Needs had low scores, while the Religious Needs scores indicate no interest. Patients with cancer had significantly higher SpNQ scores than patients with chronic pain conditions. There were just some weak associations between Actively Giving and life satisfaction (r = .17; p = .012), and negatively with the symptom score (r = -.29; p < .0001); Need for Inner Peace was weakly associated with satisfaction with treatment efficacy (r = .24; p < .0001). Regression analyses reveal that the underlying disease (i.e., cancer) was of outstanding relevance for the patients' spiritual needs.

Conclusion

The preliminary results indicate that spiritual needs are conceptually different from life satisfaction, and can be interpreted as the patients' longing for spiritual well-being. Methods how health care professionals may meet their patients' spiritual needs remain to be explored.

【 授权许可】

   
2010 I. Holzapfel Publishers

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

【 参考文献 】

• [1]Büssing A, Ostermann T, Matthiessen PF: Adaptive coping and spirituality as a resource in cancer patients. Breast Care 2007, 2:195-202.
• [2]Koenig HG, Larson DB, Larson SS: Religion and coping with serious medical illness. Ann Pharmacother 2001, 35(3):352-9.
• [3]Bussing A, Ostermann T, Koenig HG: Relevance of religion and spirituality in German patients with chronic diseases. Int J Psychiatry Med 2007, 37(1):39-57.
• [4]Koenig HG, Pargament KI, Nielsen J: Religious coping and health status in medically ill hospitalized older adults. J Nerv Ment Dis 1998, 186(9):513-21.
• [5]Koenig HG: Spirituality and depression: a look at the evidence. South Med J 2007, 100(7):737-9.
• [6]McClain CS, Rosenfeld B, Breitbart W: Effect of spiritual well-being on end-of-life despair in terminally-ill cancer patients. Lancet 2003, 361(9369):1603-7.
• [7]Sloan RP, Bagiella E: Claims about religious involvement and health outcomes. Ann Behav Med 2002, 24(1):14-21.
• [8]Wachholtz AB, Pearce MJ: Does spirituality as a coping mechanism help or hinder coping with chronic pain? Curr Pain Headache Rep 2009, 13(2):127-32.
• [9]Koenig HG: Research on religion, spirituality, and mental health: a review. Can J Psychiatry 2009, 54(5):283-91.
• [10]McCullough ME, Willoughby BL: Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications. Psychol Bull 2009, 135(1):69-93.
• [11]Chida Y, Steptoe A, Powell LH: Religiosity/spirituality and mortality. A systematic quantitative review. Psychother Psychosom 2009, 78(2):81-90.
• [12]Thune-Boyle IC, Stygall JA, Keshtgar MR, Newman SP: Do religious/spiritual coping strategies affect illness adjustment in patients with cancer? A systematic review of the literature. Soc Sci Med 2006, 63(1):151-64.
• [13]Büssing A, Ostermann T, Matthiessen PF: Role of Religion and Spirituality in Medical patients in Germany. Journal of Religion and Health 2005, 44(3):321-40.
• [14]Büssing A, Michalsen A, Balzat HJ, Grunther RA, Ostermann T, Neugebauer EA, et al.: Are spirituality and religiosity resources for patients with chronic pain conditions? Pain Med 2009, 10(2):327-39.
• [15]Wachholtz AB, Pearce MJ: Does spirituality as a coping mechanism help or hinder coping with chronic pain? Curr Pain Headache Rep 2009, 13(2):127-32.
• [16]Büssing A, Ostermann T, Matthiessen PF: Search for meaningful support and the meaning of illness in German cancer patients. Anticancer Res 2005, 25(2B):1449-55.
• [17]Büssing A, Ostermann T, Koenig HG: Relevance of religion and spirituality in German patients with chronic diseases. Int J Psychiatry Med 2007, 37(1):39-57.
• [18]Thune-Boyle IC, Stygall JA, Keshtgar MR, Newman SP: Do religious/spiritual coping strategies affect illness adjustment in patients with cancer? A systematic review of the literature. Soc Sci Med 2006, 63(1):151-64.
• [19]Balboni TA, Vanderwerker LC, Block SD, Paulk ME, Lathan CS, Peteet JR, et al.: Religiousness and spiritual support among advanced cancer patients and associations with end-of-life treatment preferences and quality of life. J Clin Oncol 2007, 25(5):555-60.
• [20]Murray SA, Kendall M, Boyd K, Worth A, Benton TF: Exploring the spiritual needs of people dying of lung cancer or heart failure: a prospective qualitative interview study of patients and their carers. Palliat Med 2004, 18(1):39-45.
• [21]Hermann C: Development and testing of the spiritual needs inventory for patients near the end of life. Oncol Nurs Forum 2006, 33(4):737-44.
• [22]Hermann CP: The degree to which spiritual needs of patients near the end of life are met. Oncol Nurs Forum 2007, 34(1):70-8.
• [23]Williams AL: Perspectives on spirituality at the end of life: a meta-summary. Palliat Support Care 2006, 4(4):407-17.
• [24]Grant E, Murray SA, Kendall M, Boyd K, Tilley S, Ryan D: Spiritual issues and needs: perspectives from patients with advanced cancer and nonmalignant disease. A qualitative study. Palliat Support Care 2004, 2(4):371-8.
• [25]Hampton DM, Hollis DE, Lloyd DA, Taylor J, McMillan SC: Spiritual needs of persons with advanced cancer. Am J Hosp Palliat Care 2007, 24(1):42-8.
• [26]Shih FJ, Lin HR, Gau ML, Chen CH, Hsiao SM, Shih SN, et al.: Spiritual needs of Taiwan's older patients with terminal cancer. Oncol Nurs Forum 2009, 36(1):E31-E38.
• [27]Raoul M, Rougeron C: [Spiritual needs of end of life home care patients: a qualitative study with 13 patients]. J Int Bioethique 2007, 18(3):63-83. 117
• [28]Daaleman TP, Usher BM, Williams SW, Rawlings J, Hanson LC: An exploratory study of spiritual care at the end of life. Ann Fam Med 2008, 6(5):406-11.
• [29]Grant E, Murray SA, Kendall M, Boyd K, Tilley S, Ryan D: Spiritual issues and needs: perspectives from patients with advanced cancer and nonmalignant disease. A qualitative study. Palliat Support Care 2004, 2(4):371-8.
• [30]Williams AL: Perspectives on spirituality at the end of life: a meta-summary. Palliat Support Care 2006, 4(4):407-17.
• [31]Moadel A, Morgan C, Fatone A, Grennan J, Carter J, Laruffa G, et al.: Seeking meaning and hope: self-reported spiritual and existential needs among an ethnically-diverse cancer patient population. Psychooncology 1999, 8(5):378-85.
• [32]Yong J, Kim J, Han SS, Puchalski CM: Development and validation of a scale assessing spiritual needs for Korean patients with cancer. J Palliat Care 2008, 24(4):240-6.
• [33]Büssing A, Ostermann T, Matthiessen PF: Distinct expressions of vital spirituality. The ASP questionnaire as an explorative research tool. Journal of Religion and Health 2007, 46(2):267-86.
• [34]Büssing A, Matthiessen PF, Ostermann T: Engagement of patients in religious and spiritual practices: confirmatory results with the SpREUK-P 1.1 questionnaire as a tool of quality of life research. Health Qual Life Outcomes 2005, 3:53. BioMed Central Full Text
• [35]Büssing A, Ostermann T, Matthiessen PF: Role of religion and spirituality in medical patients: confirmatory results with the SpREUK questionnaire. Health Qual Life Outcomes 2005, 3:10. BioMed Central Full Text
• [36]Büssing A, Fischer J, Ostermann T, Matthiesen PF: Reliance on God's help, depression and fatigue in female cancer patients. Int J Psychiatry Med 2008, 38(3):357-72.
• [37]Büssing A, Fischer J, Haller A, Ostermann T, Matthiessen PF: Validation of the Brief Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Scale in patients with chronic diseases. Eur J Med Res 2009, 14(4):171-7. BioMed Central Full Text
• [38]Büssing A, Abu-Hassan WM, Matthiessen PF, Ostermann T: Spirituality, religiosity, and dealing with illness in Arabic and German patients. Saudi Med J 2007, 28(6):933-42.
• [39]Williams AL: Perspectives on spirituality at the end of life: a meta-summary. Palliat Support Care 2006, 4(4):407-17.
• [40]Jim HS, Jacobsen PB: Posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth in cancer survivorship: a review. Cancer J 2008, 14(6):414-9.
• [41]Ironson G, Stuetzle R, Fletcher MA: An increase in religiousness/spirituality occurs after HIV diagnosis and predicts slower disease progression over 4 years in people with HIV. J Gen Intern Med 2006, 21(Suppl 5):S62-S68.