The role of religious and spiritual beliefs in coping with malignant melanoma: an Israeli sample.

This preliminary study examined the possible relationship between a newly developed instrument, the Spiritual Beliefs Inventory (SBI-54), and the coping style of a group of cancer patients in Israel. The sample consisted of 100 malignant melanoma patients diagnosed at stages I and II, A and B. Patients were individually interviewed at home and completed seven self-reports. The present report focuses on the relationship of the SBI-54 with other measures of coping, psychological distress and social support. Findings showed that there was a significantly positive correlation between the SBI-54 and the active-cognitive coping style (r = 0.48, p < 0.01).