This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The role of religion and spirituality in cancer coping among African Americans: A qualitative examination Abstract There is ample literature suggesting that cancer patients rely on religion and/or spirituality (RS) to cope, particularly African- Americans. However, what is yet to be determined is HOW they do so, or which aspects of RS are important in cancer coping. Because both religion and spirituality are multifactorial, it is possible that some factors are important in cancer coping and others are less important. Just as there are multiple channels proposed by which RS impacts one's health (e.g., stress reduction, sense of meaning), there are likely multiple mediators of the relationship between RS and cancer coping and survivorship. The present study explored mediators of RS and cancer coping among African- Americans. This was done through conducting semi-structured interviews with 30 African American cancer patients. The interview focused on what patients used to cope with their diagnosis and cancer treatment as well as if and how patients used religion and/or spirituality in coping with cancer. Interviewed patients were six months to five years post-diagnosis. The data were analyzed using an open-coding procedure, with multiple coders, used to establish inter-rater reliability for the codes. The next steps in this research will be to identify existing or to develop new instruments to assess these identified mediators of the RS and coping relationship and to conduct some mediational analyses in a larger sample to quantitatively answer the research question of how RS helps (or hinders) African Americans in coping with cancer. Key words: religion, spirituality, cancer coping, cancer disparities, quality of life Learning objectives: After the session (or after viewing the poster) participants will be able to: 1. Understand the importance of exploring the complex phenomenon of the religion/spirituality and cancer coping relationship using qualitative techniques before moving to a quantitative phase. 2. Explain the process by which African American cancer patients described their experience in cancer coping and the role of religion and/or spirituality in it. 3. Articulate themes from the qualitative data, illustrating how the patients used religion and/or spirituality in coping with cancer, or the potential mediators of the RS-coping relationship.
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