The relationship between the strength of religious faith and spirituality and the level of acceptance of illness in a group of patients under home palliative care. Part 2. The strength of religious faith, its determinants, and its impact on the acceptance of the disease

Introduction: To assess the strength of religious faith, its determinants, and its impact on the level of disease acceptance in a group of patients under home hospice care. Material and methods: The study was conducted in a group of patients covered by home hospice care as part of the Private Health Care Center (NZOZ) in Radom. Patients completed questionnaires through December 2019 and January 2020. The method of diagnostic survey was used in the study, and the research tool was a questionnaire, which included: Disease Acceptance Scale and Religious Faith Questionnaire. Results: Patients under home hospice care are characterized by high strength of religious faith, while acceptance of the disease is at an average level. A higher strength of religious faith had respondents who lived with more than one family member and declared themselves as deeply religious and believers. Studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between a higher level of religious faith and a higher level of disease acceptance (r = 0.446; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The strength of religious faith in the group of patients studied is at a high level, and the level of acceptance of the disease felt by the patients is at a medium level. Determinants of the level of religious faith strength are the number of people living together with the patient and the attitude towards faith declared by the patient. With the increase in the level of religious faith, the level of acceptance of the disease in patients under home hospice care increases also raises.