Measuring religious faith in cancer patients: reliability and construct validity of the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith questionnaire.

Growing attention has focused on associations between religious involvement and health outcomes for cancer patients. Unfortunately, research has been hampered by lack of measures suitable for use in oncology settings. This study examined the performance of one recently developed measure, the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSORF). Initial investigations with cancer patients in a bone marrow transplant program and with non-oncology patients yielded promising results. This study provided additional information about temporal stability and convergent validity. The measure was evaluated in two well-defined samples: (1) 95 breast cancer patients, and (2) 53 healthy young adults. Most of the cancer patients had recent diagnoses and localized or regional disease. In each sample, the instrument demonstrated high test-retest reliability (r's=0.82-0.93) and internal consistency (r's=0.95-0.97). It displayed strong correlations with measures of intrinsic religiosity (r's=0.67-0.82, p<0.0001), and moderate correlations with organizational religiosity (r's=0.61-069, p<0.0001), non-organizational religiosity (r's=0.52-0.55, p<0.0001), comfort from religion (r=0.58, p<0.0001), and ratings of self as religious (r=0.58, p<0.0001). Among cancer patients, scores were significantly associated with optimism (r=0.30, p<0.01), but not with openness of family communication about cancer or perceived social support. These data build on previous findings with cancer patients, and suggest that the SCSORF may be a useful measure of religious faith in oncology settings.

A multidimensional measure of religious involvement for cancer patients: the Duke Religious Index.

Despite increasing interest in the relationship between religious involvement and health outcomes for cancer patients, research has been limited by the lack of appropriate measures. Few of the many instruments available are well suited to cancer patients. The current study examined the psychometric properties of one recently developed measure, the Duke Religious Index (DRI), which assesses several aspects of religious involvement. The DRI was evaluated in two distinct samples: 104 cancer patients receiving treatment at a bone marrow transplantation program and 175 gynecology clinic patients. The instrument demonstrated good internal consistency (coefficient alphas 0.87-0.94). Moderate to high correlations with other measures of religiosity provided support for convergent validity. Modest relationships with other measures commonly used in psychosocial oncology (e.g., optimism, social support, purpose in life) indicated that the instrument provides unique information (all rs's < 0. 42). Small relationships with social desirability response bias, negative affect, and relationship cohesion further supported the divergent validity of the instrument (all rs's < 0.22). The DRI was significantly associated with demographic characteristics but not with medical variables. Findings support the value of the DRI for use in oncology settings.

Religious faith and spirituality in substance abuse recovery: determining the mental health benefits.

Recently, mental health professionals have begun examining the potential value of religious faith and spirituality in the lives of individuals suffering from a variety of acute and chronic illnesses. This study explored the relation between religious faith, spirituality, and mental health outcomes in 236 individuals recovering from substance abuse. We found that recovering individuals tend to report high levels of religious faith and religious affiliation, but choose to rate themselves as being more spiritual than religious. Results also indicate that among recovering individuals, higher levels of religious faith and spirituality were associated with a more optimistic life orientation, greater perceived social support, higher resilience to stress, and lower levels of anxiety. This represents the largest self-report study to date examining the relation between religious faith, spirituality, and mental health outcomes among individuals recovering from substance abuse.

Could the perception of fitness account for many of the mental and physical health benefits of exercise?

There is a great amount of professional confidence among researchers and clinicians alike that exercise improves both mental and physical health functioning. Interestingly, until recently, investigators had not seriously examined the possibility that some of the positive emotional results associated with exercise may occur because of psychological gains from the experience of trying to get fit or believing that one is fit rather than from an increase in aerobic physical fitness. Further, some research suggests that the perception of fitness is more closely associated with improvements in physical functioning than is aerobic physical fitness. Perhaps we have underestimated the role of our health beliefs as a useful intervention with or without resulting behavior change. Perhaps, for some health outcomes, it may be more healthful to think that you are fit than actually be fit.

Does exercise help in the treatment of psychiatric disorders?

1. Some researchers have stated that the perception of fitness and health may be a better predictor of psychological improvements than actual cardiovascular fitness. 2. It appears reasonable to encourage patients in psychotherapy to participate in a regular exercise program. 3. Adjunct treatments such as exercise may become increasingly important and helpful in the changing health care delivery and reimbursement environment where more short-term and self-help therapies are being strongly encouraged.

Measuring treatment outcome and client satisfaction among children and families.

As the delivery and reimbursement methods for mental health services change rapidly, measuring treatment outcome and client satisfaction has become critical. This article describes a case example of a treatment outcome and client satisfaction assessment program at the Children's Health Council, a private nonprofit agency affiliated with Stanford University that provides comprehensive mental health services to children and families in Palo Alto, California. Approximately 300 families receive mental health treatment per year at the agency. The simple and inexpensive program presented herein can be used and modified by other mental health professionals and agencies struggling to develop satisfactory treatment outcome and client satisfaction evaluation programs.

Preliminary predictions of athletic performance among collegiate baseball players with a biopsychosocial model.

This study investigated the association of nine biopsychosocial variables and athletic performance among 40 elite collegiate baseball players. High scores on confidence and perceived fitness and low scores on repressive denial, strength of religious faith, and sensitivity to glare were reliably associated with ratings of superior athletic performance by four coaches. Preliminary results suggest that the biopsychosocial model may prove useful in predicting athletic performance.

Are stress and coping associated with WISC-III performance among children?

This study examined the association between stress/coping variables and the newly developed Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--III (WISC-III) among children. Subjects included 98 children (72 males, 26 females), who ranged in age from 6 to 16 years and who were referred for multidisciplinary diagnostic testing during 1992-93. Demographic, DSM-III-R diagnostic, and testing data from the WISC-III were obtained from patient charts. Results suggest that stress and coping are associated with WISC-III performance among referred children in this archival and correlational study. Implications for future research are discussed.

The Persian Gulf War: civilian war-related stress and the influence of age, religious faith, and war attitudes.

This study examined the stress response of 86 civilian subjects at the onset of the Persian Gulf War. The Impact of Events Scale (IES) and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) were used to measure participants' subjective stress response and symptoms of psychological distress. Subjects also completed a demographic questionnaire that included questions that ranged from religious affiliation to approval of the war effort. The study describes war-related stress and the influence of age, religious faith, and attitudes about war on reported levels of stress. Results indicate measurable levels of war-related stress in this civilian population.

Using the biopsychosocial model to predict nocturnal penile rigidity in men with erectile dysfunction.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relative contributions of sets of descriptive, organic, and psychosocial variables to a prediction of nocturnal penile rigidity among a group of men presenting with significant erectile dysfunction. Seventy veterans referred for evaluation of their erectile dysfunction completed several standardized questionnaires and two nights of nocturnal penile rigidity monitoring (NPRM) using the snap gauge technique. Results suggest that each set of variables uniquely contributes to a prediction of NPRM. Findings support the view that a biopsychosocial approach should be used in the evaluation and treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Concurrent validity for an Activity Vector Analysis index of anxiety.

This study determined the concurrent validity between the Activity Vector Analysis (AVA) index of anxiety (AVA pattern shape PS 5519, Vector 4 divided by Vector 3) and scores on the IPAT Anxiety Scale. Utilizing 182 subjects including 59 Brown University undergraduates, 74 suicide prevention volunteers, 34 emergency medical technicians, and 15 Rhode Island College students, results suggest that strong concurrent validity exists between the AVA anxiety index and the IPAT Anxiety Scale. In the four groups tested, the correlation between the AVA measure of anxiety and the IPAT ranged from .39 to .56. The IPAT and the AVA index of anxiety seem essentially to measure the same construct of basic anxiety.