Cancer patients who are religious have better chances of coping with the treatments than those who have no faith, a new study has revealed.
American researchers have found that patients suffering from cancer are more able to do physical activities and everyday tasks, and experience less of the common symptoms usually associated with cancer treatments. Believers also suffer less anxiety, depression and distress compared to non-believers.
The study also uncovered that the type of God a patient believes in can influence his perception about having the disease. A patient who believes in a benevolent God has a better attitude about coping with treatments than a patient who believes that the cancer is a form of punishment from the higher being.
The study, which is a first of its kind, analyzed data of over 44,000 cancer patients and tied this with other researchers. They looked into the patients' physical and mental health, as well as the person's social well-being.
"Cancer patients who reported higher meaning, purpose, and spiritual connection in life reported better physical health, as did patients who reported more positive religious or spiritual explanations for the cancer (versus a sense of fatalism or anger towards God)," said Heather Jim, the lead author of the study from Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., according to Yahoo.
"When we took a closer look, we found that patients with stronger spiritual well-being, more benign images of God - such as perceptions of a benevolent rather than an angry or distant God - or stronger beliefs - such as convictions that a personal God can be called upon for assistance - reported better social health," said Allen Sherman, a co-author of the study, via Telegraph. "In contrast, those who struggled with their faith fared more poorly."
Spiritual well-being was, unsurprisingly, associated with less anxiety, depression, or distress," added John Salsman, also a co-author, in the same report. "Also, greater levels of spiritual distress and a sense of disconnectedness with God or a religious community was associated with greater psychological distress or poorer emotional well-being."
Cancer patients, however, should not be forced into adopting faith, the study authors pointed out. "Although our data suggest that patients with greater religion/spirituality tend to have better perceived physical health, these are aggregate-level data," noted Jim via Yahoo. "Patients who are not religious or spiritual can also experience good health outcomes."
The researchers also suggested further studies to determine whether links between cancer and religion have any long-term effects so that institutions may begin offering religious guidance to patients.
The study was published in the journal Cancer.
