Religiosity, depression and pain in patients with breast cancer

There is a growing body of evidence that religiosity can buffer depression and support the healing process. Our objective was to assess the relationship between religiosity, depression and pain in patients with breast cancer. Participants in our study were 115 breast cancer female patients recruited from a radiotherapy unit of a cancer teaching hospital, surveyed during the course of 6 months. The assessment used the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire as the measure of religiosity, and the subjects were categorized into low-, moderate- and high-religiosity groups according to its score. Depression was measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, a 20-item self-report scale. The score of ≥16 indicated clinically relevant depression. A visual analogue scale was used for the assessment of pain. High religiosity was associated with a significantly lower prevalence of depression (χ2=6.635; df=2; P=.036), but religiosity was not related to the intensity of pain perception. Higher religiosity was associated with older age, lower education, unemployment and more children. Depression was associated with a higher pain level (U=1027.5; P=.004). The type of operation and tumor stage were not associated with categories of depression or religiosity, but mastectomized patients who belonged to the high-religiosity group were significantly less depressed (χ2=9.552; df=2; P=.008).