Levine Ellen G, Yoo Grace, Aviv Caryn, Ewing Cheryl, Au Alfred
BioBehavioral Research Center, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave. PP750, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA.
J Cancer Surviv. 2007 Sep;1(3):212-25. doi: 10.1007/s11764-007-0024-z.
Many women are incorporating spirituality as a way of coping with cancer. However, few studies have examined the role of spirituality in mood and quality of life among breast cancer survivors from different ethnic groups.
One hundred and seventy-five women who had completed treatment for breast cancer participated in in-depth interviews about their experiences. Transcripts were available for 161 women.
The majority (83%) of the women talked about their spirituality. The main themes were: (1) God as a Comforting Presence; (2) Questioning Faith; (3) Anger at God; (4) Spiritual Transformation of Self and Attitude Towards Others/Recognition of Own Mortality; (5) Deepening of Faith; (6) Acceptance; and (7) Prayer by Self. A higher percentage of African-Americans, Latinas, and Christians felt comforted by God than the other groups.
These results are consistent with the common assumption that more African-American and Latinas engage in spiritual activities and that African-Americans are more fatalistic than the other groups.
The present findings suggest that there are several dimensions of spirituality experienced among cancer survivors. For many the trauma of a cancer diagnosis might deepen their faith and appreciation of life as well as changing the way they view at themselves, their lives, and how they relate to those around them, including God.
许多女性将精神信仰作为应对癌症的一种方式。然而，很少有研究探讨精神信仰在不同种族乳腺癌幸存者的情绪和生活质量中所起的作用。
175名完成乳腺癌治疗的女性参与了关于她们经历的深入访谈。161名女性的访谈记录可供分析。
大多数（83%）女性谈到了她们的精神信仰。主要主题包括：（1）上帝是慰藉的存在；（2）对信仰的质疑；（3）对上帝的愤怒；（4）自我的精神转变及对他人的态度/认识到自身的必死性；（5）信仰的深化；（6）接纳；（7）自我祈祷。与其他群体相比，非裔美国人、拉丁裔和基督教徒中感到得到上帝慰藉的比例更高。
这些结果与普遍的假设一致，即更多非裔美国人和拉丁裔参与精神活动，且非裔美国人比其他群体更宿命论。
目前的研究结果表明，癌症幸存者经历了精神信仰的几个维度。对许多人来说，癌症诊断的创伤可能会加深他们的信仰和对生活的感激之情，以及改变他们看待自己、生活以及与周围人（包括上帝）关系的方式。
