Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the relationship between spiritual care needs, psychological distress (depression, anxiety and stress) and quality of life in Turkish women diagnosed with gynaecological cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 111 women receiving treatment at a university hospital in Ankara, Turkey, between April and October 2023. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, spiritual needs assessment scale of patients with cancer (SNASPC), depression anxiety stress scales-21 (DASS-21) and functional assessment of cancer therapy-general (FACT-G). Statistical analyses were performed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Statistics version 20.0 (Chicago, IL, USA). Frequencies, percentages, mean values, standard deviations (SDs) and Pearson Correlation Analysis were used to evaluate the data. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean SNASPC score was 233.70 (SD = 30.02). The DASS-21 scores were 8.28 (SD = 5.02) for depression, 8.50 (SD = 5.91) for anxiety and 8.62 (SD = 5.04) for stress. The mean total FACT-G score was 65.67 (SD = 20.18). Significant positive correlations were found between unmet spiritual needs and depression (r = 0.283, P = 0.004), anxiety (r = 0.271, P = 0.006) and stress (r = 0.280, P = 0.005). In addition, spiritual needs were negatively correlated with quality of life (r = -0.584, P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The study revealed that higher unmet spiritual needs are associated with increased psychological distress and decreased quality of life in women with gynaecological cancer. Integrating spiritual care into treatment plans could improve both mental health outcomes and overall quality of life for this population.