# The role of spirituality in improving psychosocial well-being in women with breast cancer: a qualitative study

## TL;DR

This study explores how spirituality helps women with breast cancer improve their emotional and social well-being.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific spiritual themes that enhance coping and psychosocial health in breast cancer patients.

## Key findings

- Spirituality helps patients develop coping strategies and emotional resilience.
- Spiritual experiences foster social bonding and emotional support among patients.
- Integrating spirituality into care can improve holistic patient outcomes.

## Abstract

Women with breast cancer face many psychosocial problems. This study aims to determine the spiritual experiences of women diagnosed with breast cancer and the effect of these experiences on their psychosocial well-being.

The study was conducted with thematic analysis approach, and the sample consisted of women diagnosed with breast cancer (n = 15). The findings were obtained through individual semi-structured interviews, guided by the interview form presented in the Supplementary Materials. The thematic approach was employed to analyze data.

The main themes identified in this study were ‘spiritual empowerment and coping strategies during the breast cancer process’, ‘the impact of spirituality on social bonding and emotional support’, ‘empowerment and identity building through spirituality’, and ‘integration of spirituality into holistic cancer care’.

Findings of the present study revealed that spirituality contributes to strengthening the emotional and social support mechanisms of patients, helping them develop coping strategies, and improving their psychosocial well-being. Raising the sensitivity of healthcare professionals to spiritual care and integrating it into patient care can help address the psychosocial needs of patients more comprehensively. Furthermore, promoting spiritual counselling services may improve the psychosocial well-being of patients.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00520-026-10569-2.