Title of Research Project
Religiousness, Coping, and Social Support Predict Well-Being among Cancer Patients
Major
Psychology
Research Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the association between intrinsic religious motivation (IRM), coping styles, social support, and well-being among cancer patients. IRM refers to the internalization of faith as the primary motive in a person’s life. Previous research has established a correlation between IRM and well-being; however, little is known about the role of coping style s and social support in this relationship. The sample included 179 predominantly white, Christian, female patients with stage II through IV cancer. We used a cross- sectional, correlational design with self-report measures of the constructs. We hypothesized that higher levels of IRM and, subsequently, social support would predict higher levels of emotional and social well-being. Moreover, we hypothesized that acceptance coping would predict higher levels of well-being, whereas venting of negative emotions would predict lower levels of well-being. Controlling for age and family income, we conducted two sequential multiple regressions to examine the relationship between IRM, coping styles, social support, and well-being. In the first model, at step one, IRM (Beta = .16, p < .05) predicted emotional well-being. At step two, acceptance coping (Beta = .31, p < .001) predicted higher levels of emotional well-being, whereas venting (Beta = -.22, p < .01) predicted lower levels of emotional well-being. Moreover, IRM became non-significant after entering the coping variables. In the second model, at step one, IRM (Beta = .18, p < .05) predicted social well-being. At step two, social support (Beta = .30, p < .001) predicted social well-being. Moreover, IRM became non-significant after entering social support. Overall, the models explained 20% of the variance in emotional well-being and 21% of the variance in social well-being. Results suggest that IRM may promote both emotional and social well-being among cancer patients. Moreover, higher levels of acceptance coping and lower levels of venting may further promote emotional well-being. In contrast, social support may be a key factor linking IRM to social well-being. Future research should focus on coping styles and social support as potential mechanisms linking intrinsic religious motivation to well-being. Subsequently, intervention research could target these mechanisms to enhance the quality of life for religious cancer patients.
Faculty Mentor/Advisor
Dr. John Pérez
Included in
Religiousness, Coping, and Social Support Predict Well-Being among Cancer Patients
The purpose of this study was to explore the association between intrinsic religious motivation (IRM), coping styles, social support, and well-being among cancer patients. IRM refers to the internalization of faith as the primary motive in a person’s life. Previous research has established a correlation between IRM and well-being; however, little is known about the role of coping style s and social support in this relationship. The sample included 179 predominantly white, Christian, female patients with stage II through IV cancer. We used a cross- sectional, correlational design with self-report measures of the constructs. We hypothesized that higher levels of IRM and, subsequently, social support would predict higher levels of emotional and social well-being. Moreover, we hypothesized that acceptance coping would predict higher levels of well-being, whereas venting of negative emotions would predict lower levels of well-being. Controlling for age and family income, we conducted two sequential multiple regressions to examine the relationship between IRM, coping styles, social support, and well-being. In the first model, at step one, IRM (Beta = .16, p < .05) predicted emotional well-being. At step two, acceptance coping (Beta = .31, p < .001) predicted higher levels of emotional well-being, whereas venting (Beta = -.22, p < .01) predicted lower levels of emotional well-being. Moreover, IRM became non-significant after entering the coping variables. In the second model, at step one, IRM (Beta = .18, p < .05) predicted social well-being. At step two, social support (Beta = .30, p < .001) predicted social well-being. Moreover, IRM became non-significant after entering social support. Overall, the models explained 20% of the variance in emotional well-being and 21% of the variance in social well-being. Results suggest that IRM may promote both emotional and social well-being among cancer patients. Moreover, higher levels of acceptance coping and lower levels of venting may further promote emotional well-being. In contrast, social support may be a key factor linking IRM to social well-being. Future research should focus on coping styles and social support as potential mechanisms linking intrinsic religious motivation to well-being. Subsequently, intervention research could target these mechanisms to enhance the quality of life for religious cancer patients.
