Locus of Control and Spirituality in Palliative Care Patients

Primary Objectives:

1. To determine whether the degree of spirituality/religiosity as determined by the Duke University Religion Index and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well Being Scale (FACIT-Sp) correlates with internal locus of control as determined by the Locus of Control Scale. 2. To determine the relationships among spiritual-well being, religiosity, hope, depression, and culture, socioeconomic status, and gender in a palliative care setting. 3. To determine if hope and depression in palliative care patients are affected by the degree of intrinsic and extrinsic spirituality/religiosity. 4. To determine if patients who believe in predestination correlate with decreased locus of control, but improved quality of life and degree of religiosity.

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Key information

Conditions

Advanced Cancer

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

About this study

If you are receiving care in the Palliative Care clinic and are eligible to participate, you will be asked to fill out one-time quality of life surveys, which will take about 40 minutes to complete. The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACT-G) survey asks questions about physical and emotional well-being, functional well-being (how much you participate in and enjoy normal daily activities), and social/family well-being.

This study first collected questionnaires from 100 participants from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. When the questionnaires were compared, investigators found some interesting differences between the African American and Caucasian participants. To better understand these findings, an additional 67 African American patients are needed to compare the groups.

The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale (FACT-Sp) asks questions about personal meaning, faith and peace. The Duke University Religion Index (DUREL) asks questions about religious practices. The Locus of Control (LOC) questionnaire asks questions about personal internal control, your views on chance, and your views on power. The Herth Health Scale (HHS) asks questions about hope. The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) asks questions about symptoms you may be experiencing. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) asks questions about your feelings of depression and anxiety. The "predetermination" questionnaire asks questions about your beliefs about your fate.

These eight questionnaires will take about 40 minutes to complete and may be completed at a later time if you become tired. Information about you will also be collected (such as your age and gender).

This is an investigational study. About 167 patients will take part in this study. All will be enrolled at M. D. Anderson.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Age > 17 years (surveys have not been validated in minors)
Expected survival > 6 weeks
Patients experiencing acute side effects from chemotherapy (mucositis, emesis, or severe grade 2-3 neuropathy) are not eligible
No clinical evidence of cognitive failure, with normal Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). A score of 24 is considered normal
Only new patients presenting to the Department of Symptom Control and Palliative Care Center

Exclusion criteria

Treatment and study plan

Questionnaire

Behavioral

8 questionnaires will take about 40 minutes to complete.

Primary outcomes

Determination of Spirituality/Religiosity in Correlation With Internal Locus of Control.

Time frame: 40 minutes to complete questionnaires.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2004
Primary completion: 2017
Study completion: 2017
First posted: May 23, 2007
Registry last updated: Aug 28, 2017

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed