The DOI matches its Crossref record; 36 of the 36 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
A meta‐analytic approach to examining the correlation between religion/spirituality and mental health in cancer
Open accessAbstract
Religion and spirituality (R/S) are patient‐centered factors and often are resources for managing the emotional sequelae of the cancer experience. Studies investigating the correlation between R/S (eg, beliefs, experiences, coping) and mental health (eg, depression, anxiety, well being) in cancer have used very heterogeneous measures and have produced correspondingly inconsistent results. A meaningful synthesis of these findings has been lacking; thus, the objective of this review was to conduct a meta‐analysis of the research on R/S and mental health. Four electronic databases were systematically reviewed, and 2073 abstracts met initial selection criteria. Reviewer pairs applied standardized coding schemes to extract indices of the correlation between R/S and mental health. In total, 617 effect sizes from 148 eligible studies were synthesized using meta‐analytic generalized estimating equations, and subgroup analyses were performed to examine moderators of effects. The estimated mean correlation (Fisher z) was 0.19 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16‐0.23), which varied as a function of R/S dimensions: affective R/S (z = 0.38; 95% CI, 0.33‐0.43), behavioral R/S (z = 0.03; 95% CI, −0.02‐0.08), cognitive R/S (z = 0.10; 95% CI, 0.06‐0.14), and ‘other’ R/S (z = 0.08; 95% CI, 0.03‐0.13). Aggregate, study‐level demographic and clinical factors were not predictive of the relation between R/S and mental health. There was little indication of publication or reporting biases. The correlation between R/S and mental health generally was positive. The strength of that correlation was modest and varied as a function of the R/S dimensions and mental health domains assessed. The identification of optimal R/S measures and more sophisticated methodological approaches are needed to advance research. Cancer 2015;121:3769–3778. © 2015 American Cancer Society.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“The strongest relationships were found between affective dimensions of RS (e.g., sense of meaning, purpose, or connection to a source larger than oneself) and mental health outcomes, whereas behavioral RS constructs (e.g., service attendance, prayer and meditation) showed few significant associations with health, except for a modest positive relationship with social health outcomes.”
From Advancing our understanding of religion and spirituality in the context of behavioral medicine (2017) · cites this paper as Salsman et al., 2015
In the citing paper
“Recent meta-analyses of 1341 effects drawn from over 44,000 patients with cancer demonstrated an overall positive relationship between RS and self-reported measures of health outcomes (Park et al., 2015) but the strength of that relationship varied as a function of both the RS dimension and the physical (Jim et al., 2015), mental (Salsman et al., 2015), and social (Sherman et al., 2015) outcomes”
From Advancing our understanding of religion and spirituality in the context of behavioral medicine (2017) · cites this paper as Salsman et al., 2015
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Bias in meta-analysis detected by a simple, graphical test
Egger, M., Smith, G. D., Schneider, M., & Minder, C. (1997) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.315.7109.629 · Cited by 56,722
Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P. T., & Rothstein, H. R. (2009) · doi:10.1002/9780470743386 · Cited by 14,225
Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P. T., & Rothstein, H. R. (2021) · doi:10.1002/9781119558378 · Cited by 9,799
Publication Bias in Meta‐Analysis: Prevention, Assessment and Adjustments
(2005) · doi:10.1002/0470870168 · Cited by 2,368
Robust variance estimation in meta‐regression with dependent effect size estimates
Hedges, L. V., Tipton, E., & Johnson, M. C. (2010) · Research Synthesis Methods · doi:10.1002/jrsm.5 · Cited by 2,086
Research on Religion, Spirituality, and Mental Health: A Review
Koenig, H. G. (2009) · The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/070674370905400502 · Cited by 1,442 · cited 1×
“Reviews of this literature have concluded that R/S has a favorable association with mental health, although there is some heterogeneity in study findings.(1,2) A growing part of this literature has examined the correlation between R/S and mental health among cancer patients and survivors.”
Religion as a Meaning‐Making Framework in Coping with Life Stress
Park, C. L. (2005) · Journal of Social Issues · doi:10.1111/j.1540-4560.2005.00428.x · Cited by 1,097
Self-citationSmall sample adjustments for robust variance estimation with meta-regression.
Tipton, E. (2015) · Psychological Methods · doi:10.1037/met0000011 · Cited by 810
Concerns about measuring spirituality in research
Koenig, H. G. (2008) · Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/nmd.0b013e31816ff796 · Cited by 730
Measuring Multiple Dimensions of Religion and Spirituality for Health Research
Idler, E. L., Musick, M. A., Ellison, C. G., George, L. K., KRAUSE, N. M., Ory, M. G., Pargäment, K. I., Powell, L. H., Underwood, L. G., & Williams, D. R. (2003) · Research on Aging · doi:10.1177/0164027503025004001 · Cited by 639
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- 10.1002/0470870168.ch1 · DOI · Paper page
- Stanton AL, 2006, Handbook of Post‐Traumatic Growth: Research and Practice, 138
- 10.1375/twin.2.2.126 · DOI
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 201–231 of 231
Koenig, H. G., VanderWeele, T. J., & Peteet, J. R. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.003.0020
Koenig, H. G., VanderWeele, T. J., & Peteet, J. R. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.003.0026
Disease Prevention, Detection, and Treatment
Koenig, H. G., VanderWeele, T. J., & Peteet, J. R. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.003.0030 · Cited by 1
Koenig, H. G., VanderWeele, T. J., & Peteet, J. R. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.003.0019
Koenig, H. G., VanderWeele, T. J., & Peteet, J. R. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.002.0004
Personality Traits and Disorders
Koenig, H. G., VanderWeele, T. J., & Peteet, J. R. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.003.0011
Schizophrenia and Other Psychoses
Koenig, H. G., VanderWeele, T. J., & Peteet, J. R. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.003.0009
Koenig, H. G., VanderWeele, T. J., & Peteet, J. R. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.003.0004
Koenig, H. G., VanderWeele, T. J., & Peteet, J. R. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.003.0018
Koenig, H. G., VanderWeele, T. J., & Peteet, J. R. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.003.0003 · Cited by 1
Koenig, H. G., VanderWeele, T. J., & Peteet, J. R. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.003.0013
Koh, H. K. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.002.0006
Koenig, H. G., VanderWeele, T. J., & Peteet, J. R. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.003.0028
Koenig, H. G., VanderWeele, T. J., & Peteet, J. R. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.003.0022
Studies on Religion and Health
Koenig, H. G., VanderWeele, T. J., & Peteet, J. R. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.005.0001
Paleczna, M. (2023) · Kwartalnik Naukowy Fides et Ratio · doi:10.34766/fetr.v56i4.1232
Durántez, V. V. (2024) · UVaDOC UVaDOC University of Valladolid Documentary Repository (University of Valladolid) · doi:10.35376/10324/68366
BENEFÍCIOS DOS RECURSOS TERAPÊUTICOS COMPLEMENTARES E INTEGRATIVOS NA TERAPIA DO CÂNCER
Lubiana, A., & Vaz, G. S. C. (2024) · RECIMA21 - Revista Científica Multidisciplinar · doi:10.47820/recima21.v5i8.5568
Alzahrani, A., Al-Mulhem, S. M., Alfurayh, I., Alshehri, S. A. M., Khrad, H., Omdah, R., Gouta, H., Habib, N., Alharthi, R. M., Bajandouh, W. M., et al. (2024) · Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1177/13591053241288098
Hope and Health: Challenges and Opportunities
Scioli, A. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-89095-6_13
Christian cancer survivors’ global meaning violations and well-being
Park, C. L., Ahmadi, S. E., David, A. B., & Hall, M. E. L. (2025) · Supportive Care in Cancer · doi:10.1007/s00520-025-09933-5
Self-citationWhat do we know about spiritual growth in healthcare literature? A scoping review
Shapira, R., Afonso, A., Sitefane, S., & Caldeira, S. (2025) · Journal for the Study of Spirituality · doi:10.1080/20440243.2025.2540621
Fang, S., & Leung, C. H. (2025) · Aging & Mental Health · doi:10.1080/13607863.2025.2593976
Spirituality and cancer: quality of life, anxiety/depression and symptom severity
Koleilat, R., Charbel, N., Akiki, N., Sheikh, W. G. E., Dib, S., Bizri, M., & Taher, A. T. (2025) · BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care · doi:10.1136/spcare-2025-005715
Najjar, G. E., Basmaji, T., & Dr, R. B. D. (2026) · Journal of Humanistic Psychology · doi:10.1177/00221678261430958
An analytics framework for inverse cascade classification in cancer risk assessment
Jaworsky, M., Tao, X., Shaik, T., & Pokhrel, S. R. (2026) · Healthcare Analytics · doi:10.1016/j.health.2026.100471
Return of the sacred: Psychiatry’s evolving relationship with spirituality
Bhatti, O., & Latifi, M. Q. (2026) · Australasian Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/10398562261457011
Spiritual-Religious Profiles and Psychological Distress in Romanian Patients with Cancer
Nagy, D., Vornicu, V.-N., Negru, A. G., Tănase, A. D., & Negru, S. M. (2026) · Current Oncology · doi:10.3390/curroncol33100573
Nagy, D., Vornicu, V.-N., Negru, A. G., & Negru, S. M. (2026) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare14193209
Spirituality and Medicine, with a Focus on Oncology: A Narrative Review of the Literature
Giglio, A. D. (2026) · Clinical Oncology Letters · doi:10.4322/col.2026.009
Zou, P., Lai, W., Liu, P., Wang, L., Wang, X., Cai, M., & Chen, J. (2026) · Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.apjon.2026.101052
Metadata
- Authors
- Salsman, J. M., Pustejovsky, J. E., Jim, H. S. L., Munoz, A. R., Merluzzi, T. V., George, L., Park, C. L., Danhauer, S. C., Sherman, A. C., Snyder, M. A., & Fitchett, G.
- Affiliations
- Northwestern University (US)
- The University of Texas at Austin (US)
- Moffitt Cancer Center (US)
- University of Illinois Chicago (US)
- University of Notre Dame (US)
- University of Connecticut (US)
- Wake Forest University (US)
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (US)
- Rush University Medical Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Salsman, John M.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Cancer
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2015-08-10
- Volume
- 121
- Issue
- 21
- Pages
- 3769-3778
- ISSN
- 0008-543X (ISSN-L)
- 1097-0142
- PMC
- PMC4618157
- OpenAlex
- W2127587946
- Cited by
- 232
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 56 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 7
- FWCI
- 3.36
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Cancer (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Cancer Institute (K07CA158008)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Workplace Spirituality and Leadership
- Keywords
- religion and spirituality, mental health, cancer patients, depression, anxiety, well-being, coping
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Cognition, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Neoplasms, Quality of Life, Religion and Medicine, Stress, Psychological, Prevalence, Spirituality
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
