Religiosity, spirituality and the facing of cancer: a phenomenological study¹

Abstract

Different strategies are used by people with cancer to deal with the various events resulting from this condition, among which, spirituality/religiosity is an important aspect to be considered. In this article, we present the results of a research that aimed to understand how patients with cancer and in palliative care experience spirituality/religiosity in the treatment process and how this dimension manifests itself in coping with the disease. The qualitative research with phenomenological orientation was carried out in a hospital in the city of Belém-PA and involved six patients diagnosed with cancer admitted to the Oncology Palliative Care Clinic - CCPO. The data was obtained through semi-directed interviews recorded in audio, later transcribed and analyzed according to Ricoeur's hermeneutics from units of meaning. The main results point to spirituality/religiosity as a coping strategy in the face of the state of illness and hospitalization. This dimension is evident in the routine of patients who maintain involvement in individual and collective religious activities during treatment. The religious experience in the hospital environment proved to be a way to face the illness process and a device through which individualized strategies are created to minimize suffering.

Keywords:
Religion; Spirituality; Cancer; Occupational Therapy