Spiritual-Religious Profiles and Psychological Distress in Romanian Patients with Cancer.
6 affiliations
- 1Doctoral School, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania.
- 2Department of Oncology, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bd. Victor Babes No. 16, 300226 Timisoara, Romania.
- 3Department of Palliative Care, OncoHelp Hospital Timisoara, Ciprian Porumbescu Street No. 59, 300239 Timisoara, Romania.
- 4Department of Cardiology, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania.
- 5Department of Professional Legislation in Dental Medicine, Faculty of Dental Medicine, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania.
- 6Research Centre in Dental Medicine Using Conventional and Alternative Technologies, Faculty of Dental Medicine, "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania.
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Religious engagement may coexist with low existential well-being. We identified spiritual-religious profiles in Romanian patients with cancer, assessed their associations with distress and quality of life, and evaluated spirituality's incremental predictive value. Methods: This single-centre cross-sectional study included 175 adults with cancer. Latent profile analysis used FACIT-Sp Meaning, Peace, and Faith, Religious Commitment Inventory-10, and service attendance. Clinically significant distress was defined as Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety or depression scores ≥8. Adjusted regression and a six-predictor logistic model with bootstrap internal validation were used. Results: Three profiles emerged: low spiritual-religious resource (n = 61), religiously engaged but existentially unsettled (n = 52), and integrated spiritual-religious resource (n = 62). Distress prevalence was 68.9%, 61.5%, and 25.8%, respectively (p < 0.001). Compared with the low-resource profile, the integrated profile had lower adjusted odds of distress (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.08-0.44), higher global quality of life (adjusted difference 14.1 points, 95% CI 4.4-23.8), and lower symptom burden (-11.8 points, 95% CI -18.6 to -5.0). The full model had an apparent AUC of 0.816 (95% CI 0.748-0.875) and an optimism-corrected AUC of 0.789. Its AUC exceeded that of the clinical-only model by 0.064 (95% CI 0.008-0.12; p = 0.023). Conclusions: Religious involvement alone did not indicate resolved spiritual needs. Inner peace may improve distress risk assessment, although prospective external validation is required.
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BibTeX
@article{nagy2026spiritualreligious,
title = {{Spiritual-Religious Profiles and Psychological Distress in Romanian Patients with Cancer.}},
author = {Dana Sonia Nagy and Vlad-Norin Vornicu and Alina-Gabriela Negru and Alina Doina Tănase and Serban Mircea Negru},
journal = {Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.)},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/curroncol33100573},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930140},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Spiritual-Religious Profiles and Psychological Distress in Romanian Patients with Cancer.
AU - Dana Sonia Nagy
AU - Vlad-Norin Vornicu
AU - Alina-Gabriela Negru
AU - Alina Doina Tănase
AU - Serban Mircea Negru
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/22
JO - Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.)
DO - 10.3390/curroncol33100573
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930140
AB - Background/Objectives: Religious engagement may coexist with low existential well-being. We identified spiritual-religious profiles in Romanian patients with cancer, assessed their associations with distress and quality of life, and evaluated spirituality's incremental predictive value. Methods: This single-centre cross-sectional study included 175 adults with cancer. Latent profile analysis used FACIT-Sp Meaning, Peace, and Faith, Religious Commitment Inventory-10, and service attendance. Clinically significant distress was defined as Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety or depression scores ≥8. Adjusted regression and a six-predictor logistic model with bootstrap internal validation were used. Results: Three profiles emerged: low spiritual-religious resource (n = 61), religiously engaged but existentially unsettled (n = 52), and integrated spiritual-religious resource (n = 62). Distress prevalence was 68.9%, 61.5%, and 25.8%, respectively (p < 0.001). Compared with the low-resource profile, the integrated profile had lower adjusted odds of distress (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.08-0.44), higher global quality of life (adjusted difference 14.1 points, 95% CI 4.4-23.8), and lower symptom burden (-11.8 points, 95% CI -18.6 to -5.0). The full model had an apparent AUC of 0.816 (95% CI 0.748-0.875) and an optimism-corrected AUC of 0.789. Its AUC exceeded that of the clinical-only model by 0.064 (95% CI 0.008-0.12; p = 0.023). Conclusions: Religious involvement alone did not indicate resolved spiritual needs. Inner peace may improve distress risk assessment, although prospective external validation is required.
SN - 1198-0052
SN - 1718-7729
ER -