Religiousness, Spirituality, and Salivary Cortisol in Breast Cancer Survivorship: A Pilot Study

Conclusions: Feasibility, validity, and acceptability of self-collected SDC biospecimens with an optional mail-back protocol (at moderate temperatures) were demonstrated. Positive spiritual beliefs were associated with neuroendocrine-mediated peak cortisol awakening response activity; however, additional research is recommended. Implications for Practice: Objective measures of DSC sampling that include enough collection time points to assess DSC parameters would increase the rigor of future DSC measurement. Breast cancer survivors may benefit from nursing care that includes spiritual assessment and therapeutic conversations that support positive spiritual beliefs.
Source: Cancer Nursing - Category: Nursing Tags: Articles Source Type: research