Spirituality Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Spirituality, including details on effects in health care, religion, psychology.

Relationships of age and gender to hope and spiritual well-being among adolescents with cancer.

Hendricks-Ferguson V

Barnes-Jewish College of Nursing, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. vlf7549@bjc.org

The purpose of this study was to examine hope and spiritual well-being, with its 2 dimensions of religious well-being and existential well-being, as they relate to age and gender among adolescents with cancer. A cross-sectional design was guided by the conceptual framework, Adolescent Psychosocial Adaptation to the Cancer Experience. A total of 78 adolescents with a diagnosis of cancer were enrolled from 2 pediatric oncology clinics. Middle adolescents (15-17 years of age) reported higher religious well-being than late adolescents (18-20 years of age). Middle-adolescent boys were more hopeful than were early adolescent boys (13- 14 years of age). Also, girls were more hopeful and reported higher spiritual well-being than age the boys. Developmental phase and/or gender may influence adolescents' levels of hope, spiritual well-being, religious well-being, and existential well-being as they cope during the cancer experience. The nurse should consider developmental phase and gender when planning interventions to foster hope and spiritual well-being in adolescents' adaptations to the cancer experience.

Published 12 June 2006 in J Pediatr Oncol Nurs, 23(4): 189-99.
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