Religiosity plays a significant role in the psychological functioning of individuals with chronic illnesses, serving as an important resource in coping with prolonged stress and uncertainty related to the course of the disease. From a psychosocial perspective, its impact on mental health is not direct but operates through complex mediating mechanisms. Particular importance is attributed to meaning-making structures, which encompass systems of meaning in life, values, and life goals (Delgado et al., 2025; Park, 2022). Religiosity may strengthen these structures by providing interpretative frameworks that allow individuals to assign meaning to suffering, redefine the experience of illness, and maintain a sense of control and purpose in life (Park et al., 2025; Purc-Stephenson & Edwards, 2024; Shannonhouse et al., 2024). In this context, meaning-making processes serve a mediating function, enabling the transformation of negative experiences into more adaptive interpretations.
The paper presents findings from two original studies conducted among individuals diagnosed with cancer, in which levels of religiosity, spiritual care, meaning in life, coping, compassion, and illness adaptation were assessed (Krok, Kocur, Fopka-Kowalczyk, 2025; Krok, Szcześniak, Zarzycka, 2024). The results indicate that meaning-making serves a mediating role at two levels: as a general process of constructing meaning and as meaning-focused coping. The effectiveness of these processes depends on individuals’ capacity for constructive processing of experiences based on categories of meaning and purpose. Therefore, religiosity, through its association with meaning-making structures, constitutes an important—albeit indirect—factor supporting mental health in chronic illness.