How psychiatrists think about religious and spiritual beliefs in clinical practice: findings from a university hospital in São Paulo, Brazil
Rev. bras. psiquiatr
; 41(1): 58-65, Jan.-Mar. 2019. tab, graf
Article
in En
| LILACS
| ID: biblio-985363
Responsible library:
BR1.1
ABSTRACT
Objective:
To examine the relationship between psychiatrists' religious/spiritual beliefs and their attitudes regarding religion and spirituality in clinical practice.Methods:
A cross-sectional survey of religion/spirituality (R/S) in clinical practice was conducted with 121 psychiatrists from the largest academic hospital complex in Brazil.Results:
When asked about their R/S beliefs, participants were more likely to consider themselves as spiritual rather than religious. A total of 64.2% considered their religious beliefs to influence their clinical practice and 50% reported that they frequently enquired about their patients' R/S. The most common barriers to approaching patients' religiosity were lack of time (27.4%), fear of exceeding the role of the doctor (25%), and lack of training (19.1%). Those who were less religious or spiritual were also less likely to find difficulties in addressing a patient's R/S.Conclusion:
Differences in psychiatrists' religious and spiritual beliefs are associated with different attitudes concerning their approach to R/S. The results suggest that medical practice may lead to a religious conflict among devout psychiatrists, making them question their faith. Training might be of importance for handling R/S in clinical practice and for raising awareness about potential evaluative biases in the assessment of patients' religiosity.Key words
Full text:
1
Index:
LILACS
Main subject:
Physician-Patient Relations
/
Psychiatry
/
Religion and Medicine
/
Culture
/
Spirituality
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
America do sul
/
Brasil
Language:
En
Journal:
Rev. bras. psiquiatr
Year:
2019
Type:
Article