The Role of Spirituality in Psychosocial Adjustment of Patients with Various Cancer Diagnoses

The clinical practice emphasizes the role of religious and spiritual counseling in the psychological and social adjustment of patients diagnosed with different forms of cancer, as well as in increasing the perceived quality of life and life expectancy. Empirical studies have shown that working with cancer patient’s religious and spiritual beliefs and behaviors has a beneficial effect both on psychosocial adjustment to the disease, and on coping with the challenges of chemotherapy or palliative medical care. Quality of life perceptions of patients in different stages of cancer are an indicator of their psychosocial adjustment. The present paper reviews the main findings of empirical studies conducted on patients diagnosed with various forms and stages of cancer. Several psychosocial adjustment-related variables were measured and interconnected. According to the empirical observations, a cancer diagnosis may be a source of changes in a patient’s life, the beginning of the personal and spiritual growth process having beneficial effects on both medical recovery, and life expectancy.