Spirituality and religiosity are reported as important in coping with cancer. Little work has focussed on colorectal cancer and expanding cultural understanding is important in the provision of holistic care through transcultural nursing.
The aim was to explore and compare the use of spirituality and religiosity in coping with colorectal cancer in New Zealand and Iran.
A cross-sectional qualitative approach involving interviews conducted in New Zealand (n=20) and Iran (n=20). Inclusion criteria were adults currently receiving adjuvant treatment following a diagnosis of colorectal cancer. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analysed using thematic analysis.
The majority of participants interviewed used religion (belief in a divine destiny, faith in God, illness as a blessing from God, and religious activities) as a resource in coping with cancer. A minority described spirituality as separate to religion and drew on spirituality either in relation to religion or alone. Similarities and differences in the use of religion and spirituality were noted both within and between New Zealand and Iranian participants. All Iranian participants viewed spirituality as intertwined with religion.
Religious and/or spiritual beliefs formed an important source of support for all Iranians and the majority of New Zealand participants living with cancer. Only New Zealand participants drew on spirituality as a resource, without the use of religious beliefs. The ability of nurses to identify, recognise and support these beliefs is important in the provision of holistic care.
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 2. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 18 October 2017.
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#21,650,407
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