Abstract
Articles on “Spirituality and Health” have multiplied considerably in Brazil in the last decade. More recently, however, research groups created specifically to investigate this topic have emerged. This study aims to provide an overview of the field by means of a survey in the Directory of Research Groups in Brazil. Thirty-three groups were initially identified, of which 16 were selected for analysis and placed into two categories: “established” groups and lines of research, and “in-process” groups and lines of research. The survey made it possible to identify postgraduate programs that develop studies on this theme, the main researchers, and the potentials and challenges of this research field in Brazil. The results also indicate that “Spirituality and Health” is a fundamentally interdisciplinary field of research that is expanding and has gained greater legitimacy in the scientific community in the last four years. The main challenges to and potentials for advancement of knowledge are the need for theoretical and methodological development to support research, educational improvement in spiritual care, development of a critical and conscious reflection on the political implications of the field (especially due to the religious diversity in the Brazilian cultural context), and the role of spirituality/religiosity in public health promotion policies.
Highlights
Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) with the aim of answering the following question: which groups are working in the field of Spirituality and Health (S&H) in Brazil and what are the main themes of their research? this study provides a snapshot of the current field of S&H research in Brazil
Research groups in the humanities represent 21.5% of the total research groups registered in the Directory of Research Groups (DRG), while health sciences represent 15.6% of the total
The two searches discovered a total of 33 unique groups, 16 of which met the selection criteria for analysis. Those 17 groups not included in the analysis were discarded for the following reasons: (1) the group had no focus on S&H or any line of research on the topic; (2) the words “spirituality” or “health” were mentioned but without any relation to S&H; (3) no students were registered in the group; (4) none of the researchers listed in the line of research had any publications on S&H
Summary
The survey made it possible to identify postgraduate programs that develop studies on this theme, the main researchers, and the potentials and challenges of this research field in Brazil. The main challenges to and potentials for advancement of knowledge are the need for theoretical and methodological development to support research, educational improvement in spiritual care, development of a critical and conscious reflection on the political implications of the field (especially due to the religious diversity in the Brazilian cultural context), and the role of spirituality/religiosity in public health promotion policies. “Religious influence is harmful to health and puts lives at risk” (Oliveira 2020). This statement is taken from an interview with Brazilian gynecologist Cristião Rosas by journalist. A case, widely publicized in the media, told the story of a pregnant 10-year-old girl who had been sexually abused by her uncle since the age of six and was guaranteed the legal right to abortion
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