An Exploratory Study of HIV+ Adolescents’ Spirituality: Will You Pray with Me?

Abstract

The aims of the study were (1) to determine whether adolescents find it acceptable to have physicians explore their spiritual beliefs as part of their medical care, (2) to characterize the role of spirituality and religious beliefs in adolescents with and without HIV, and (3) to examine associations between spirituality/religion and quality of life. Adolescents receiving their medical care at an urban Adolescent Health Clinic completed a study-specific questionnaire about spiritual inquiry by their physician, the Brief Multidimensional Measurement of Religiousness/Spirituality, and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0. Chi-squared analysis, Fischer's exact test, and t tests were used to assess associations. A total of 45 participants enrolled: 19 HIV+ (53% vertical transmission) and 26 HIV-; mean age 17.2 years; 80% African American. Four out of 45 (9%) had ever been asked by their doctor about their spiritual/religious beliefs, and only 8 (18%) had ever shared these beliefs with their healthcare provider. Most teens wanted their provider to ask them about their spiritual beliefs during some visits, especially when dealing with death/dying or chronic illness (67%). Those with HIV were more likely to endorse wanting their doctors to pray with them (42% vs. 15%), feeling "God's presence" (Mean = 3.95 vs. 2.83), being "part of a larger force" (Mean = 2.58 vs. 1.69), and feeling "God had abandoned them" (Mean = 1.63 vs. 1.15). There are certain circumstances in which healthcare providers should include a spiritual history with teenage patients. Few differences emerged in the teens studied with and without HIV.

Spiritual Well-Being Among HIV-Infected Adolescents and Their Families

“…HIV positive teens were more likely to report “God abandoned me,” than HIV negative teens (Bernstein et al 2009; Bernstein et al 2012). The belief HIV was a punishment from God, was associated with poor medication adherence among HIV positive teens (Lyon et al 2011).…”

Correlação entre espiritualidade, religiosidade e qualidade de vida em adolescentes

“…Research carried out with 45 HIVpositive adolescents demonstrated that talking about spirituality and religiosity was a way of strengthening in the fight against the disease. HIV negative participants also believed that, if infected, they would consider it important for their fight against the disease to talk about these issues 17 .…”

Should My Provider Pray with Me? Perspectives of Urban Adolescents with Asthma on Addressing Religious and Spiritual Issues in Hypothetical Clinical Settings

“…Bernstein et al (2013) published data from 19 HIV-positive ( M age = 17.8) and 26 HIV-negative adolescents ( M age = 16.7) in which four out of the 45 (9 %) had ever been asked by their doctor about their religious/spiritual beliefs, and only eight (18 %) had ever shared these beliefs with their healthcare provider. Most adolescents (67 %) wanted their provider to ask them about their R/S beliefs during some visits, especially when dealing with death/ dying or chronic illness.…”

“…Most adolescents (67 %) wanted their provider to ask them about their R/S beliefs during some visits, especially when dealing with death/ dying or chronic illness. Moreover, adolescents with HIV were more likely to endorse wanting their doctors to pray with them, having felt “God’s presence,” being “part of a larger force,” and having felt that “God had abandoned them,” as compared to those without HIV (Bernstein et al 2013). In our previous study of 151 urban adolescents with asthma (Cotton et al 2012), many adolescents felt that their provider should be aware of and even address their R/S beliefs.…”

“…While authors have suggested addressing R/S with adolescent patients in certain contexts (Bernstein et al 2013) and, in fact, accrediting agencies like The Joint Commission require attention to R/S issues in particular clinical settings (Association of American Medical Colleges 2001; American Psychological Association 2002), we know very little about child/adolescent patients’ (and families’) preferences in this area of health care. In an era of translating evidence into practice, it behooves us to consider the growing evidence on the potential protective factors of R/S and health outcomes in adolescents, along with actual patient preferences regarding R/S issues.…”