Purpose: This study assessed the relationship of spirituality, social support, and sense of mastery to life satisfaction and quality of life to identify viable psychosocial coping resources among American Indian (AI) women cancer survivors.
Method: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 73 AI women cancer survivors residing in South Dakota. A series of multivariate hierarchical regression analyses was conducted.
Results: Findings indicated that lower self-rated physical health was consistently associated with lower levels of life satisfaction and quality of life. Spirituality was found to be the most influential predictor for life satisfaction, while social support and sense of mastery were two significant predictors for quality of life.
Discussion: Our data underscored the importance of spirituality, social support, and sense of mastery to the well-being of AI women cancer survivors and as effective coping strategies to mitigate life stressors. Implications of this evidence for the design of cancer preventions and interventions are discussed.
Keywords: American Indian women cancer survivors; life satisfaction; quality of life; sense of mastery; social support; spirituality.