“For many patients receiving palliative care, religious and spiritual (R/S) beliefs and practices provide a framework for understanding suffering, cultivating meaning, and sustaining hope in the face of declining health and mortality. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that higher levels of R/S beliefs and practices are associated with improved quality of life, greater emotional well-being, and longer survival.
Yet not all R/S coping is adaptive. Alongside positive forms of coping, such as faith, forgiveness, and connection, many patients experience R/S struggle, sometimes referred to as spiritual distress or spiritual pain. These experiences may include loss of meaning, anger toward God, abandonment, guilt, or conflict with faith communities.”
