Evaluation of the relationships between quality of life and spiritual well-being in patients with breast cancer: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Breast cancer is a major global health challenge, and spirituality is increasingly recognized as a supportive factor in patient adaptation. This study examined the relationship between spiritual well-being (SpWB) and quality of life (QoL) among stage II breast cancer patients in Türkiye, exploring how distinct spiritual dimensions are associated with multidimensional QoL outcomes. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 288 stage II breast cancer patients. QoL was assessed using the FACT-G, and SpWB using the FACIT-Sp-12. Analyses included Spearman correlations with Bonferroni correction ( p  < 0.0025) and multiple linear regression analyses. The mean age of participants was 56.1 ± 11.7 years. Average total scores were 62.5 ± 12.3 for FACT-G and 34.2 ± 6.2 for FACIT-Sp. Regression models showed modest explanatory power (up to 14.1% of the variance). The Peace subscale showed the strongest independent associations with overall QoL (β = 0.210; p  = 0.011), physical well-being (β = 0.279; p  = 0.001), and functional well-being (β = 0.303; p  < 0.001). The Peace subscale was negatively associated with emotional well-being (β = −0.205; p  = 0.016), although this finding should be interpreted as exploratory. The Faith subscale was independently associated with social/family well-being (β = 0.209; p  = 0.009). The findings indicate statistically significant associations between dimensions of spiritual well-being and quality-of-life outcomes among breast cancer patients. However, given the modest explanatory power of the models, the potential integration of spiritual well-being assessment into oncology care requires further validation through prospective intervention studies.