The Influence of Religiosity and Spirituality on the Quality of Life of Patients With Multiple Myeloma

The aim of the study was to assess the influence of religiousness and spirituality (R/S) on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). A total of 83 patients were examined. Interest in R/S issues was dependent on disease phase. The type of R/S coping affected health-related QoL. Addressing R/S issues within hospital care would be beneficial for MM patients. Introduction: The majority of patients with advanced neoplasms have religious/spiritual needs, and for most of them religion and/or spirituality is important. The psychology of religion and spirituality is one the forms of support offered to patients with advanced cancer. R/S are factors which impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this paper was to assess the influence of R/S on the HRQoL of patients diagnosed with MM. Materials and Methods: The patients filled out anonymous questionnaires about R/S and the HRQoL scale. The clinical data were collected from medical records. Results: The study sample consisted of 83 patients with MM (51.8% women), with a mean age of 64.9 years. The leading denomination among the respondents was Catholic (N = 83, 100%): 36% described themselves as deep believers (N = 30), 53% as believers (N = 44), and 11% as nonpracticing believers (N = 9). Most patients were receiving ongoing treatment (59.8%), while 40.2% were in remission from the disease. Patients in remission declared a significantly higher interest in R/S issues than patients in active treatment and had a higher rate of intrapsychic R/S struggles dominated by anxiety and guilt. A moderate negative correlation between interest in R/S issues and unfavorable assessment of physical functioning and role functioning was observed. Anger towards God positively correlated with a negative assessment of emotional functioning. Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of R/S for the HRQoL of MM patients and show that their QoL depends on the types of R/S coping used.