Religiosity and mental suffering experiences of users of the Brazilian public healthcare system

Abstract

This article aimed to investigate the relationship between religiosity and mental suffering experiences among users of the Brazilian public healthcare system, according to the cultural phenomenology framework. Its specific objective was to investigate the means by which the transformation of experience occurs. The study’s design consisted of semi-structured interviews, applying the MINI - McGill Illness Narratives Interview. The results led to the construction of the following categories: causal factors, suffering experiences, healing practices, social support and positive transformation of the experience. The effects of religiosity on mental suffering experiences were predominantly positive, such as in religious rituals, social support and protection against suicide. The main healing mechanisms involved were embracement, symbolic and bodily processes, similarly to psychosocial approaches within professional ethnopsychiatries