Religiousness, Spirituality, and Salivary Cortisol in Breast Cancer Survivorship: A Pilot Study.
Jennifer M Hulett, Jane M Armer, Emily Leary and 5 others
PMID 28151830WHAT IT FOUND
Home saliva collection by breast cancer survivors was feasible and acceptable, with most samples usable.
Positive spiritual experiences had a small link to morning cortisol; perceived health had no clear cortisol links.
Key findings
01The home saliva collection protocol was feasible: enrolled participants completed it without attrition, and 92% of received samples were acceptable for analysis.
02Positive spiritual experiences showed a small association with the peak cortisol awakening response; perceived health showed no clear association with cortisol.
03Positive spiritual experiences and private religious practices were inversely associated with some self-reported physical health subscales, including physical function and bodily pain.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study was a small, cross-sectional pilot, so it cannot show that religious or spiritual experiences cause changes in cortisol or health. Participants were mostly older, white women who were an average of nine years after treatment and reported generally good health, so the findings may not apply to other breast cancer survivors. Saliva collection timing was based on self-report, and the waking sample took an average of 10 minutes to collect, which may have blurred the cortisol awakening response. The study did not measure daily stress, so cortisol patterns could reflect other factors. Congregational support data were missing for 5 participants.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not state author conflicts of interest. The publication types list NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that prayer or positive spiritual beliefs improve cortisol or health. This was a small cross-sectional pilot, and perceived health had no clear links to cortisol.