Does Spirituality Confer Meaning in Life Among Heart Failure Patients and Cancer Survivors?

Overview

Journal Psycholog Relig Spiritual

Publisher American Psychological Association

Date 2022 Mar 23

PMID 35317284

Authors

Crystal L Park

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The provision of a sense of meaning in life, especially during adverse life circumstances, is widely considered to be a central function of spirituality. However, limited empirical evidence exists for this notion. The present study employed cross-lagged panel analyses, in samples of 140 congestive heart failure patients and 161 cancer survivors, to examine whether spirituality can provide meaning in the context of serious illness. Survey data were collected at baseline and six (heart failure patients) or 12 months (cancer survivors) later. In both studies, cross-lagged paths showed that higher baseline spirituality predicted more positive change in meaning over time. These results support the widely held notion that spirituality can provide increased meaning in life among individuals dealing with substantial adversity.

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