Last update:
11-Mar-2026

OBJECTIVE To investigate the impact of sense of coherence and religiosity on the quality of life in lung cancer patients.

METHOD A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 96 lung cancer patients at the one-day clinic of a public oncology hospital in Athens. Data were collected using a questionnaire that asked about the patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, as well as their Sense of Coherence (SOC), Views of Suffering (VOSS), and responses to EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer) QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-LC13 regarding quality of life. Analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 29.0 software.

RESULTS A statistically significant positive correlation was found between quality of life and sense of coherence (r=0.413, p<0.01). No statistically significant correlations were observed between patients' quality of life and the subscales of the VOSS questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis showed that the variables that significantly contributed to the prediction of patients' quality of life were disease stage (β=-0.607, p<0.001) and sense of coherence (β=0.278, p=0.002). Mediation analysis showed that sense of coherence significantly mediated the relationship between retribution/unorthodox religious beliefs and quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS In order to support and justify the integration of appropriate psychological interventions in clinical practice, further research is required to verify the indirect effects of religious beliefs and the direct impact of sense of coherence on the quality of life of lung cancer patients.

Key words: Lung cancer, Mediation analysis, Quality of life, Religiosity, Sense of Coherence.