Rare hope studies proceeded in the theoretical framework of psychoneuroimmunology were found while it has been emphasized that hope can re-create health and life. Purpose:1) to determine the relationships between endogenous opioids and hope 2) evaluate the opioids, known as biochemical mediator of emotion to body in psychoneuroimmunology, to be a variable explaining the effect of hope on health. Method: Hope was measured using Kim and Lee's hope scale for the cancer patients with high reliability and validities in 10 min after blood sampling from the 20 cancer patients, after making consent. Blood sampling was made at 8 AM. The quantitative analysis of opioids were done by the internal standard method. The relationships between opioids and hope were examined with non-parametric statistical analysis. Results: A significant negative relationship between hope and beta endorphin showed(r=-.841,p<.05) excluding the effect of chemotherapy on opioids. There were negative relationships between enkephalins(leucine enkephalin and methionine enkephalin) and hope, but not significant statistically. Conclusions: The results implies opioids can be a biological variable to explain hope as well as can be a mediating variable to explain hope on immune or health indirectly.
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