Spiritual Well-being and Quality of Life for Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer: Correlates and Influencing Factors.

CONTEXT

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most malignant digestive cancers, characterized by a poor prognosis. PC patients receiving chemotherapy can endure immense physical and psychological pain, negatively impacting spiritual well-being and QoL.

OBJECTIVE

The study intended to investigate PC patients' statuses regarding spiritual well-being and QoL, to identify and analyze the influencing factors, and to develop feasible spiritual-care plans, which could provide a reference for clinicians in promoting the spiritual well-being and QoL of PC chemotherapy patients.

DESIGN

The research team performed a prospective survey.

SETTING

The study took place at the Second Affiliated Hospital of the Army Medical University in Chongqing, China.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants were 120 patients who underwent chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer (PC) at the hospital between November 2020 and April 2022. The research team selected participants using convenience sampling.

OUTCOME MEASURES

The outcome measures included: (1) a self-designed questionnaire to identify participants' demographic and clinical characteristics and (2) the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-being Scales (FACIT-Sp). The research team used the FACIT-Sp's two subscales, FACT-G and the FACIT-Sp-12, to evaluate participants' quality of life (QoL) and spiritual well-being, respectively.

RESULTS

The total scores for participants' spiritual well-being and QoL were 26.2 ± 5.39 and 65.44 ± 17.1, respectively. Spiritual well-being was positively correlated with the QoL (P < .001). According to the multiple linear regression analysis, the main factors influencing spiritual well-being were age (P < .01), education level (P < .001), average monthly income per capita of the family (P < .001), recurrence (P < .001), and pain (P < .05). The main factors influencing QoL were age (P = .008), education level (P < .001), average monthly income per capita of the family (P < .001), recurrence (P < .001), and pain (P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients who undergo chemotherapy for PC experience a low-to-medium level of spiritual well-being and a medium level of QoL. The detrimental factors include: (1) being middle-aged, (2) having a low education level, (3) having a low family income, (4) suffering a recurrence of the disease, and (5) experiencing moderate-to-severe pain. Medical practitioners should provide extra care and support to protect the spiritual well-being of these patients and ultimately improve their QoL.