Association between spiritual intelligence and stress, anxiety, and depression coping styles in patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy in university hospitals of Tehran University of medical science.

BACKGROUND

Holistic care addresses the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions of the patient in which spiritual dimension plays a pivotal role in patient care.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to investigate the association between spiritual intelligence with stress, anxiety, and depression coping styles in patients with cancer.

METHODS

This analytic descriptive study was carried out on 276 patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy in university hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences during 2013-2014. The participants were selected using cluster sampling. Data collection tools included patients' medical history, demographic questionnaire developed by researcher, spiritual intelligence self-report inventory questionnaire, ways of coping questionnaire, and depression, anxiety, and stress scales-42. Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted to analyze the data using SPSS 20. Differences were considered significant at the P < 0.05 level.

RESULTS

There was inverse significant relationship between spiritual intelligence and stress (r = -0.268 and P < 0.001) and between spiritual intelligence and anxiety (r = -0.200 and P = 0.001) and between spiritual intelligence and depression (r = -0.317 and P = 0.000). There was a significant relationship between spiritual intelligence and coping styles (P < 0.01). The highest association was observed between spiritual intelligence and problem-focused strategy or positive reevaluation strategy (P = 0.000 and r = 0.668 and P = 0.000 and r = 0.667, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Spirituality and religion are an important source of strength for adjusting of patients to cancer and help patients to achieve the sense of meaning and purpose in the course of disease.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Establishment of settings in hospitals focusing on using spiritual intelligence to improve treatment outcomes in patients with cancer.