Abstract
Approximately 90% of the world’s population is involved in some spiritual/religious practice, and this dimension has a relevant role in life. Many studies demonstrate the associations between spirituality/religiosity (S/R), and physical, mental, and social health. Systematic reviews have indicated positive associations; however, the mechanisms behind religious coping are not fully understood. The present study aimed to examine the role of religious affiliation in general (ordinary) and health-related decisions. A nationwide, population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in Brazil using a self-administered online survey. How much religious affiliation influences decision making was investigated. A total of 1133 participants were included, who were classified as Catholics (43.9%), Evangelicals (18.7%), spiritualists (12.8%), non-religious (11.9%), and others (12.7%). Most participants (66.5%) believed that their religious affiliations had moderate to high influences on their decisions. Participants rated the influence as high in marriage (62.7%), in donations (60.1%), in volunteering (55%), in friendships (53.9%), and in work (50.5%). Concerning health-related decisions, the influence was rated as high in drug use (45.2%), in accepting medical recommendations (45%), and in smoking (43.2%). The influence of religious affiliation on general decision making was significantly correlated for dietary restrictions (r = 0.462), alcohol consumption (r = 0.458), drug use (r = 0.441), tobacco consumption (r = 0.456), and refusal of medical recommendations (r = 0.314). Improving the understanding of how a patient’s beliefs, practices, and experiences affect their health may help healthcare practitioners to take into account religious considerations, not only regarding influences on habits but also regarding adherence to medical treatment advice.
Highlights
90% of the world’s population is involved in some spiritual/religious practice, and this dimension plays a relevant role in life [1]
Religious affiliation correlated with daily decisions to various degrees: “dating”
The influence of religious affiliation on general decisions was considered high by the participants, in areas such as marriage, donations, friendships, and work
Summary
90% of the world’s population is involved in some spiritual/religious practice, and this dimension plays a relevant role in life [1]. Evidence of spirituality and religiousness’s effect on health has been constantly growing. 30,000 articles were published in the last 15 years in this field of research according to a bibliometric analysis [2]. Many studies have demonstrated associations between spirituality/religiosity (S/R). Physical, mental, and social health [2]. Systematic reviews have shown that most studies indicated some positive association in which the S/R was a protective factor, but some studies found negative or neutral associations [3,4]. Many professional organizations recognize that spiritual care is an important component of healthcare, such the World
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