Doktorand Joshua Lin

(MD, MPh, SCD)

Promotionsprojekt: „The impact of Christian religious backgrounds on the incidence of depression and anxiety disorders in patients with metastatic cancer“

Serious illness often raises profound spiritual and psychological questions. Patients with metastatic cancer frequently experience depression and anxiety, and their religious or worldview background may influence how they interpret and cope with suffering. This project examines how different Christian traditions and nonreligious worldviews relate to mental health outcomes among patients with metastatic cancer and seeks to translate the findings into guidance for pastoral and spiritual care. Using a mixed-methods design, the study combines quantitative analysis of electronic health record data with qualitative material from chaplaincy narratives and interviews with hospital chaplains. The quantitative component analyzes a large clinical database from the Mass General Brigham system to compare rates of depression, anxiety, and psychotropic medication use among patients with different religious backgrounds. The qualitative component explores how patients and chaplains interpret suffering, faith, and hope in the context of advanced illness. The goal is to bridge epidemiological data with theological reflection in practical theology. By examining how beliefs about suffering and coping are embodied in lived experience, the project aims to deepen understanding of how religious traditions, spiritual practices, and pastoral accompaniment shape psychological resilience or distress. Ultimately, the study seeks to inform chaplaincy, congregational care, and pastoral training by identifying spiritual resources and risks that influence mental health among patients facing terminal illness

E-Mail: JKLIN@BWH.HARVARD.EDU