ABSTRACT
Purpose
This study assessed the relationship of spirituality, social support, and sense of mastery to life satisfaction and quality of life to identify viable psychosocial coping resources among American Indian (AI) women cancer survivors.
Method
We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 73 AI women cancer survivors residing in South Dakota. A series of multivariate hierarchical regression analyses was conducted.
Results
Findings indicated that lower self-rated physical health was consistently associated with lower levels of life satisfaction and quality of life. Spirituality was found to be the most influential predictor for life satisfaction, while social support and sense of mastery were two significant predictors for quality of life.
Discussion
Our data underscored the importance of spirituality, social support, and sense of mastery to the well-being of AI women cancer survivors and as effective coping strategies to mitigate life stressors. Implications of this evidence for the design of cancer preventions and interventions are discussed.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Sanford Research Center and its staff for their generous support. Special appreciation goes to the American Indian women cancer survivors who participated in this project.
Disclosure statement
We have no known conflict of interest to disclose. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Correction Statement
This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.