Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among American women, with 180,000 new cases reported each year. The physiological, emotional, and spiritual challenges of the disease can be awesome. The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine if there was a relationship between spiritual well-being and coping in women with breast cancer. The theoretical framework which guided the research was the Neuman Systems Model. The research hypothesis for the study was there will be a significant positive correlation between spiritual wellbeing and coping in women with breast cancer. Using a convenience sample of 31 women between the ages of 30 and 7 5 years who had a diagnosis of breast cancer, data were collected using Paloutzian and Ellison's Spiritual Well- Being Scale, the Jalowiec Coping Scale, and a researcherdesigned demographic questionnaire. Statistical analysis using Pearson product-moment correlation did not reveal a significant positive correlation between spiritual wellbeing and total coping use and helpfulness. The research hypothesis was rejected. Additional findings revealed that the primary coping styles utilized by women with breast cancer were optimistic and supportant. A positive iii correlation emerged between religious well-being and total spiritual well-being and the use of the supportant coping style. Total spiritual well-being as well as religious well-being and existential well-being were positively correlated with the helpfulness of the optimistic and supportant coping styles. A negative correlation was found between religious and total spiritual well-being and the fatalistic coping style usage and between religious wellbeing and fatalistic coping style helpfulness. Participants cited "faith in God" and "love from friends and family" as the two major influential factors in helping them to cope with the diagnosis of breast cancer. The researcher concluded that the styles most utilized by and helpful to women with breast cancer were the optimistic and supportant coping styles. Recommendations for nursing education included incorporation of spiritual well-being and coping assessment skills into basic nursing education. Recommendations for research included replication of the study with healthy women and performing a qualitative study on spiritual well-being in women with breast cancer. IV

Degree

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Department

Graduate Nursing

Degree Date

8-1-1996

Publication Number

27919836

First Advisor

Lorraine Hamm

Second Advisor

Dr. Mary Patricia Curtis

Document Type

Thesis

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