Relationship between Quality of Life and Suicide Risk in Iranian Cancer Patients: The Mediating Role of Religious Coping.

OBJECTIVE

Cancer patients often experience significant declines in quality of life (QoL), which can elevate suicide risk. In culturally religious societies like Iran, religious coping may serve as a critical buffer against such adverse outcomes. This study examined the relationship between QoL and suicide risk among Iranian cancer patients, with a focus on the mediating role of religious coping.

METHOD

A purposive sample of 350 cancer patients from Tehran was analyzed using validated measures of QoL (EORTC QLQ-C30), suicide risk (Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation), and religious coping (Brief RCOPE-14). Data were analyzed using SPSS v26 and the PROCESS macro v4.0.

RESULTS

Bivariate correlations revealed that lower QoL was strongly associated with higher suicide risk (r = -0.62, p < 0.001), while positive religious coping correlated with better QoL (r = 0.48, p < 0.001) and reduced suicide risk (r = -0.41, p < 0.001). Mediation analyses demonstrated that positive religious coping significantly attenuated the QoL-suicide risk relationship (indirect β = -0.09, 95% CI [-0.15, -0.04]), accounting for 17% of the total effect. Negative religious coping, though less prevalent, also mediated this relationship but to a lesser extent (indirect β = -0.03, 95% CI [-0.05, -0.01]). Subgroup analyses indicated that the protective effect of positive religious coping was stronger in advanced-stage patients.

CONCLUSION

These findings underscore the importance of integrating spiritual care into oncology settings in Iran, leveraging faith-based resources to enhance resilience and reduce suicide risk. Future research should explore longitudinal and culturally tailored interventions to further elucidate the role of religious coping in cancer survivorship.