The Search for Meaning in Medicine When Confronted with Life-Threatening Illness - How to Include a Bio-Psycho-Social Model into Health-Care.

This paper aims to discover and discuss the place of spirituality in the meaning-making process for patients with life-threatening diseases like cancer. Does the search for meaning serve a specific role, or is it purely subjective? Finding constructive coping strategies can improve the quality of life. Meaning-making might be an essential coping strategy.

The cancer survival index-A prognostic score integrating psychosocial and biological factors in patients diagnosed with cancer or haematologic malignancies.

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether (1) psychological and social indicators influence survival in patients diagnosed with cancer or haematologic malignancies when important biological aspects are controlled for, (2) psychological, social and biological indicators can be utilised to design one collated index for survival, usable in clinical practice to identify patients at risk of shorter survival and to improve personalised healthcare provision.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 2263 patients with cancer or haematologic malignancies participated. We analysed 15 biological, psychological and social indicators as risk factors for survival with a Cox proportional hazards model.

Gender Differences in Psychosocial, Religious, and Spiritual Aspects in Coping: A Cross-Sectional Study with Cancer Patients.

There is a growing awareness of religiosity and/or spirituality (R/S) as a possible resource in coping with cancer. Gender differences in religious coping have not yet been thoroughly examined. This study aimed to analyze differences in religious coping between men and women with cancer and compare the impact of R/S on anxiety and depression symptoms.

Transcendence, religion and spirituality in medicine: Medical students' point of view.

To explore how medical students-the doctors of tomorrow-reflect upon meeting the spiritual needs of their patients, and whether they have reflected on their own religious or spiritual beliefs, or not. The study also investigates to what extent the students feel comfortable with addressing spiritual issues in their patient care, and whether they feel this is beyond their role as medical doctors.A self-administered questionnaire was developed.