An important aspect of how cancer patients live with and consequently cope with their illness depends on their level of spirituality, which is often not addressed in the medical literature. This study examines the role of spirituality in the lives of cancer patients. The following aims are addressed: To delineate the best operational definition of life threat by examining whether objective or perceived life threat is a better predictor of psychological outcome variables. To examine whether spirituality increases as a function of life threat. To test two alternative hypotheses (main effect hypothesis and buffering effect hypotheses) regarding the relationships among life threat, spirituality, psychological distress, and quality of life. To integrate spirituality into the broader stress and coping literature by exploring whether spirituality contributes to psychological adjustment beyond the effects of broader emotion-focused coping strategies. Questionnaires will be administered to adult cancer patients by mail. Further understanding of the role of spirituality in the lives of cancer patients might aid in the development of interventions and enhance psychological well-being and quality of life throughout the course of the disease and its treatment.
