A multidimensional measure of religious involvement for cancer patients: the Duke Religious Index

Despite increasing interest in the relationship between religious involveme nt and health outcomes for cancer patients, research has been limited by th e lack of appropriate measures. Few of the many instruments available are w ell suited to cancer patients. The current study examined the psychometric properties of one recently developed measure, the Duke Religious Index (DRI ), which assesses several aspects of religious involvement. The DRI was eva luated in two distinct samples: 104 cancer patients receiving treatment at a bone marrow transplantation program and 175 gynecology clinic patients. T he instrument demonstrated good internal consistency (coefficient alphas 0. 87-0.94). Moderate to high correlations with other measures of religiosity provided support for convergent validity. Modest relationships with other m easures commonly used in psychosocial oncology (e.g., optimism, social supp ort, purpose in life) indicated that the instrument provides unique informa tion (all r(s)'s <0.42). Small relationships with social desirability respo nse bias, negative affect, and relationship cohesion further supported the divergent validity of the instrument (all r(s)'s <0.22). The DRI was signif icantly associated with demographic characteristics but not with medical va riables. Findings support the value of the DRI for use in oncology settings .