Abstract:
The main purpose of this study was to investigate whether religious beliefs, coping, and
social support explain additional variance in the prediction of psychological adjustment
in mothers of children with cancer beyond the variance explained by secular predictors of
these constructs. Ninety-four mothers of children with cancer completed standardized
measures of anxiety, depression, satisfaction with life, self-esteem, optimism, social
support, approach and avoidant coping, religious belief, and positive and negative
religious coping. Of the religious coping variables studied, only negative religious
coping accounted for variance in the adjustment of mothers beyond the variance
accounted for by the secular measures. Specifically, negative religious coping explained
additional variance in mother’s satisfaction with life, anxiety and depression. In their
responses to open-ended questions, the majority of mothers said that their religious
beliefs and practices were helpful to them in coping with their child's illness. These
findings suggest that while, overall, secular variables are recommended in quantitative
assessment and treatment for mothers of children with cancer, clinicians should consider
negative religious coping as a potential risk factor for increased distress and decreases in
satisfaction with life. In addition, open-ended questions about mother's religiosity can
help in understanding how they may best cope with their child's illness.
