Predictors of spiritual needs in Chinese cancer patients: The prominent roles of time since diagnosis, depression severity, and residential area

Introduction: Cancer patients often experience psychological distress that accompanies their physical symptoms; consequently, heightened spiritual needs may reflect an important coping response. In Chinese cultural settings, the manifestation of spirituality is significantly different from that suggested by Western paradigms, with greater emphasis on non-religious aspects of spirituality, including harmony between people and inner peace, than on traditional religious beliefs. Objective: The current study aims to assess the spiritual needs of Chinese cancer patients in the hospital and to define sociodemographic, psychological, and clinical variables correlated with these needs using Chinese-validated instruments. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between February and April 2025, involving 189 cancer patients who presented to Shanxi Bethune Hospital in China. Participants were requested to complete the Chinese version of the 27-item Spiritual Needs Questionnaire (SpNQ-Ch-27), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression. Results: Participants reported moderate spiritual needs, with an average SpNQ-Ch-27 overall score of 37.23 (standard deviation = 16.91). The highest scores were obtained in the domains of active giving and inner peace, and the lowest in the religious domains, indicating a prevalence of a non-religious spiritual orientation. The predictors of spiritual needs identified using multivariate regression included a time since diagnosis of