Praying online helps Cancer patients
Newswise — Breast cancer patients who pray in online
support groups can obtain mental health benefits,
according to a new study conducted by the University
of Wisconsin-Madison Center of Excellence in Cancer
Communications Research that was funded by the
National Cancer Institute.
"We know that many cancer patients pray in online
support groups to help them cope with their illness.
This is the first study we are aware of that
examines the psychological effects of this
behavior," says Bret Shaw, an associate scientist in
UW-Madison's College of Engineering and lead author
of the study.
The analysis was conducted on message transcripts
from 97 breast cancer patients participating in an
online support group that was integrated with the
Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System
(CHESS) "Living with Breast Cancer" program, a
computer-based health education and support system.
The patients were recruited from Wisconsin and
Michigan.
Surveys were administered before group access, then
again four months later. Text messages within the
computer-mediated support groups were analyzed using
a text analysis program, which measured the
percentage of words that were suggestive of
religious belief and practice (e.g., pray, worship,
faith, holy, God).
Writing a higher percentage of these religious words
within the online support groups was associated with
lower levels of negative emotions and higher levels
of self-efficacy and functional well-being, even
after controlling for patients' pre-test levels of
religious beliefs.
"From a psychological standpoint, there are a
variety of reasons why cancer patients may benefit
from prayer - whether on the Internet or elsewhere.
In reviewing the messages, some of the most common
ways study participants used religion to cope with
their illness included putting trust in God about
the course of their illness and consequently feeling
less stressed, believing in an afterlife and
therefore being less afraid of death, finding
blessings in their lives and appraising their cancer
experience in a more constructive religious light,"
says Shaw.
The results of the study are published in an advance
issue of the journal PsychoOncology.