Religiosity After a Diagnosis of Cancer Among Older Adults

Aspects of religiosity are important to health and quality of life of cancer patients. This analysis examined changes in religiosity among community-dwelling cancer survivors. Previously diagnosed and newly diagnosed cancer survivors age 65+ were interviewed at baseline and four years later to understand how components of religiosity may change. Religiosity was assessed as organizational, non-organizational, and intrinsic using the Duke Religiosity Scale. At four years, 45 persons had a new diagnosis of non-skin cancer in addition to the 94 diagnosed at baseline. In comparison to persons without a cancer diagnosis and participants with a baseline diagnosis, newly diagnosed participants were more likely to decrease church attendance. Although not statistically significant, a larger proportion of recently diagnosed persons increased non-organizational religiosity behaviors and intrinsic religiosity compared to those with cancer at baseline and those without cancer. African Americans were more likely than Caucasians to show increased non-organizational religiosity. Caucasians with a cancer diagnosis showed increased intrinsic religiosity, perhaps because of a ceiling effect among African Americans. Although all groups showed declines and increases in the measures, baseline religiosity was the strongest predictor of religiosity at 48 months, indicating stability in religiosity over time, even in the context of a cancer diagnosis.