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. 2017 Jul;25(3):171-199.
doi: 10.1177/1054137315614513. Epub 2015 Nov 18.

The Use of Religious Coping Methods in a Secular Society: A Survey Study Among Cancer Patients in Sweden

Nader Ahmadi  1 , Fereshteh Ahmadi  1
Affiliations

The Use of Religious Coping Methods in a Secular Society: A Survey Study Among Cancer Patients in Sweden

Nader Ahmadi et al. Illn Crises Loss. 2017 Jul.

Abstract

In the present article, based on results from a survey study in Sweden among 2,355 cancer patients, the role of religion in coping is discussed. The survey study, in turn, was based on earlier findings from a qualitative study of cancer patients in Sweden. The purpose of the present survey study was to determine to what extent results obtained in the qualitative study can be applied to a wider population of cancer patients in Sweden. The present study shows that use of religious coping methods is infrequent among cancer patients in Sweden. Besides the two methods that are ranked in 12th and 13th place, that is, in the middle (Listening to religious music and Praying to God to make things better), the other religious coping methods receive the lowest rankings, showing how nonsignificant such methods are in coping with cancer in Sweden. However, the question of who turns to God and who is self-reliant in a critical situation is too complicated to be resolved solely in terms of the strength of individuals' religious commitments. In addition to background and situational factors, the culture in which the individual was socialized is an important factor. Regarding the influence of background variables, the present results show that gender, age, and area of upbringing played an important role in almost all of the religious coping methods our respondents used. In general, people in the oldest age-group, women, and people raised in places with 20,000 or fewer residents had a higher average use of religious coping methods than did younger people, men, and those raised in larger towns.

Keywords: cancer; culture; religious coping; spiritual-oriented coping.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Gender and pray to God.
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Figure 2.
Age and pray to God.
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Area of upbringing and pray to God.
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Gender and God has control.
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Figure 5.
Age and God has control.
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Area of upbringing and God has control.
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Gender and Thinking about God or Jesus.
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Age and Thinking about God or Jesus.
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Area of upbringing and Thinking about God or Jesus.
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Gender and strong connection with God.
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Figure 11.
Age and strong connection with God.
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Figure 12.
Area of upbringing and strong connection with God.
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Gender and going to church.
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Age and going to church.
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Area of upbringing and going to church.
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Gender and listening to religious music.
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Age and listening to religious music.
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Figure 18.
Area of upbringing and listening to religious music.
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Gender and seeking help from a priest or other religious leader.
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Figure 20.
Age and seeking help from a priest or other religious leader.
Figure 21.
Figure 21.
Area of upbringing and seeking help from a priest or other religious leader.
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References

    1. Ahmadi F. (2006) Culture, religion and spirituality in coping: The example of cancer patients in Sweden, Uppsala, Sweden: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis.
    1. Alma H. (1998) Identiteit door verbondenheid: Eden godsdienstpsychologisch onderzoek naar identificatie en christelijk geloof [Identity through alliance: A study in the psychology of religion on identification and Christian faith], Kampen, Netherlands: Kok.
    1. Bondeson U. (2003) Nordic moral climates, New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.
    1. Buber M. (1970) I and thou, New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
    1. Davie G. (1999) Europe: The exception that proves the rule? In: Berger P. (ed.) The desecularization of the world, Washington, DC: Ethics and Public Policy Center, pp. 65–83.

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