Spirituality as a core domain in the assessment of quality of life in oncology

AbstractObjectives: This study investigated including spiritual wellbeing as a core domain in the assessment of quality of life (QOL) in an Australian oncology population.Methods: Four hundred and ninety consecutive cancer patients with mixed diagnoses completed the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy—Spiritual Well‐Being (FACIT‐Sp) and the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale.Results: Overall, 449 patients completed assessments. Spiritual wellbeing demonstrated a significant, positive association with QOL (r=0.59), fighting spirit (r=0.49) and a significant, negative relationship with helplessness/hopelessness (r=−0.47) and anxious preoccupation (r=−0.26). A hierarchical multiple regression showed spiritual wellbeing to be a significant, unique contributor to QOL beyond the core domains of physical, social/family, and emotional wellbeing (R2 change=0.08, p=0.000). However, high levels of meaning/peace or faith did not appear to significantly impact patients' ability to enjoy life despite chronic symptoms of pain or fatigue, making the current results inconsistent with other findings.Conclusion: Results lend further support to the biopsychosocialspiritual model. By