Do spirituality and religious beliefs affect health? Over 80% of people surveyed at Sydney's Prince of Wales Hospital think that health is affected by beliefs, and that these beliefs become more important when a person is ill. Whether it is “God's healing”, “inner strength”, “living right” or “a placebo effect”, respondents agreed that spirituality and religion has an impact on the way we view health, illness, loss and recovery.
Preliminary analysis of the hospital-wide survey of 228 patients and their family members, found that religious rituals and/or spiritual practices were observed by nearly 79% of respondents, and 74% felt them to be of moderate or strong importance. Of this group, 68% said they would want to continue them if/when they were in hospital for reasons such as “it's who I am”, “I need spiritual refreshment”, “to help the healing process”, “something familiar in an unfamiliar environment”, and “to help my family cope with my illness”.
Respondents identified different ways in which their beliefs affected their health. Many felt their attitude or emotional state was enhanced, eg “peace of mind”, “giving me hope”, “it brings comfort and strength”, “understanding”, “calming', “it reassures me I am not on my own”. Others described a direct impact on their general health or recovery from illness, eg “as a result of my faith I have remained healthy”, “helps the individual to heal faster”, “I'm getting better – God has answered my prayers”.
Some respondents talked about their beliefs having a preventive affect, eg. “it's protected me not to take alcohol, smoke, etc.”, and “I gave up smoking, drugs, premarital sex and other health hazards”. There was also feedback about the potential for beliefs to have a negative affect on health, eg “all my wrong-doings in life are reflected in my poor health”, “if I felt my illness was divine punishment it might make me worse”.
The survey attempted to disentangle the concepts of religion and spirituality. Patients and visitors were asked to define the concepts, and then state how they see themselves. This enabled respondents to identify their beliefs more flexibly than traditional surveys allow. The findings supported increasing national evidence that Australian society is becoming less religious, but more spiritual. (1) (see Figure 1 below)
Overall, the survey found that 74% of respondents had spiritual or religious beliefs of some kind, a figure that tallies with the 2001 census in which 74% of the population stated they had a religious affiliation (2). However, in the hospital survey, 1/3 of these (24% of all respondents) did not identify as religious, only spiritual. Twenty one percent of respondents selected more than one description from the list of major religions and spiritual beliefs. This supports growing evidence that, for many people, beliefs are not as rigidly defined and neatly categorised as previously thought. (3)
Over 70% of respondents felt it was helpful for hospital staff to know about their religious and/or spiritual beliefs, and said it was alright for staff to ask them. This contradicts the popular idea that patients find it intrusive to be asked about their beliefs (4). Nearly 40% of people who completed the survey said they would like to speak to a chaplain, “it's strengthening to be with people who share your beliefs”; while a further 17% thought they might like to see a chaplain, depending on their situation, “if I feel that I might need support and comfort”.
Diversity Health and the Chaplaincy Department at Prince of Wales are currently using survey data to develop education initiatives and resources designed to support staff in their understanding of, and response to, the diversity of people's religious and spiritual beliefs, practices and wishes.
For more information, contact Julieanne Hilbers, Diversity Health Coordinator, Prince of Wales Hospital, on (02) 9382 3306 or email: julieanne.hilbers@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au
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(1) Bouma, G. (2002). Globalization and recent changes in the demography of Australian religious groups:1947 to 2001. People and Places , 10(4), 17-23.
(2) Peach, H. (2003). Religion, spirituality and health: how should Australia's medical professionals respond? Medical Journal of Australia , 178, 86–88.
(3) Tacey, D. (2003). The Spirituality Revolution: the Emergence of Contemporary Spirituality Sydney: HarperCollins
(4) Post, S; Puchalski, C; Larson, D. (2000). Physicians and Patient Spirituality: Professional Boundaries, Competency, and Ethics. Annals of Internal Medicine , 132, 578-583
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