Spirituality and Religiosity and Its Role in Health and Diseases

Abstract

Religiosity is a factor involved in the management of health and diseases/patient longevity. This review article uses comprehensive, evidence-based studies to evaluate the nature of religiosity that can be used in clinical studies, thus avoiding contradictory reports which arise from misinterpretation of religiosity. We conclude that religiosity is multidimensional in nature and ultimately associated with inherent protection against diseases and overall better quality of life. However, a number of untouched aspects of religiosity need to be investigated further before we can introduce religiosity in its fully functional form to the realm of health care.

Spirituality, infertility‐related stress, and quality of life in Brazilian infertile couples: Analysis using the actor‐partner interdependence mediation model

“…Women's and men's spirituality had both direct and indirect positive effects on their own quality of life. The direct positive effect found in this study was consistent with a growing body of evidence that spirituality is associated with higher quality of life in women and men with chronic conditions (Czekierda et al, ; Mishra et al, ), and in infertility, also a chronic condition (Gourounti, Anagnostopoulos, & Vaslamatzis, ). In a recent study of infertile couples (Volmer et al, ), a similar beneficial effect of meaning‐based coping strategies on quality of life in women was found, although the same effect was not found in men.…”

“…Spirituality is involved in meaning‐based coping, which also includes positive reinterpretation, revised goals, and the infusion of ordinary events with positive meaning (Folkman, ). In patients with various chronic medical conditions, spirituality plays a protective role in adjustment to illness and promotes quality of life (Czekierda, Banik, Park, & Luszczynska, ; Mishra, Togneri, Tripathi, & Trikamji, ; Salmoirago‐Blotcher et al, ). Spirituality is commonly used by infertile women and couples to deal with the chronic stressor of infertility (Latifnejad Roudsari et al, ; Romeiro, Caldeira, Brady, Hall, & Timmins, ), and it has been associated, in women, with lower infertility‐related stress and depressive symptoms, higher life satisfaction (Domar et al, ; Etemadifar, Hosseiny, Ziraki, Omrani, & Alijanpoor, ), and improved emotional adjustment to assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment (Chan et al, ).…”

“…Spirituality has been associated with quality of life in several chronic conditions (Czekierda et al, ; Mishra et al, ; Salmoirago‐Blotcher et al, ). Meaning‐based coping processes, including spirituality, affect infertility‐related stress (Domar et al, ; Peterson et al, ; Volmer, Rösner, Toth, Strowitzki, & Wischmann, ), and infertility‐related stress has a negative impact on quality of life (Galhardo et al, ; Kim et al, ).…”

<b>A espiritualidade e a religiosidade como estratégias de enfrentamento do adoecer e morrer / Spirituality and religiosity as coping strategies for illness and death<b>

“…Passar a conviver com o adoecimento por câncer constitui um marco em qualquer fase da vida, mas em se tratando da juventude, existem aspectos relacionados às necessidades de desenvolvimento que devem ser considerados. Fatores de desenvolvimento pessoal podem ser significativos mediante a experiência de cuidados e tratamento de câncer e também para o estilo de vida que o jovem começará a experimentar a partir do diagnóstico (18) .…”

“…A espiritualidade abrange a área de crenças pessoais em um relacionamento com um ser superior, o que, por sua vez, acaba por influenciar de forma significativa as decisões, as ações, a personalidade e até mesmo a saúde de uma pessoa. Já a religiosidade configura-se como um tipo de orientação ritualística que direciona as crenças espirituais e também pode ser de grande importância para melhoria da saúde (1) .…”