Use of Religion: An Effective Method of Coping among Chinese Patients with Cancer

Religion and/or spirituality (R/S) plays a variety of important and inter-related roles for most advanced cancer patients. It has confirmed that religious involvement helps the patients to ease stress and provides individuals with positive coping strategies. However, much less attention has been given to how religion has been used to cope with cancer in China. The aim of this study was to explore the self-adjustment and experiences of religious coping among Chinese patients with cancer. A qualitative descriptive approach was chosen for this investigation. 16 Chinese patients with cancer were recruited from 4 hospitals in Tai’an, Shandong, China from April 2013 to October 2013 and completed 0.5 1 hour of in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed by modification of Colaizzi’s phenomenological method. Three themes were derived from the experiences of the participants: 1) self-adjustment including cognitive adjustment, faith adjustment and behavior adjustment; 2) the experience of religion coping with the cancer patients including emotional, physical and social aspect; 3) hope and power including the hope to heal, to survive from cancer, and to live longer, the cure, the spiritual supporter and the helper. The use of religion is an effective method for patients coping with cancer. Cancer patients use religion to obtain physiological, psychological, and spiritual comfort. Such knowledge is imperative for evidence-based nursing practice. As point of care providers, staff nurses are well poised to design systems and processes to accomplish the goals of providing excellent nursing care, which is reflective of a holistic and multicultural environment.