The religious-spiritual coping in hospital school patients: a biopsychosocial understanding

Author(s)

Clayton dos Santos Silva

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Psicologia (IP/SBD)
• Defense date: 2014-10-20

Examining board members

Avelino Luiz Rodrigues; Francisco Baptista Assumpcao Junior; Lilian Lopes Sharovsky

• Advisor: Avelino Luiz Rodrigues

Abstract

Religious coping can be positive or negative, depending on its effects and consequences. The survey sought to study the impact in patients admitted to medical and surgical clinics of the University Hospital of USP. The first stage was quantitative research with the objective of measuring the sample studied Positive Religious Coping (PRC) and the Negative Religious Coping (NRC) in each patient, allowing namely the frequency of each of these types, the ratio calculation NRC/PRC each patient and their frequency in the sample, as well as clinical situations in which the types of religious coping would be more frequent; and seek statistical relationships of these values with demographic characteristics of patients. The objective of the second phase was to seek understanding through psychodynamic theoretical framework as patients establish relationships with the disease, treatment, hospitalization and religious coping. The two components of the study were made simultaneously. The first component of the sample consisted of 120 randomly selected patients, 60 of each clinic, 30 men and 30 women . For this step, two instruments were used: the brazilian Brief RCOPE scale and a general form that lifted demographic characteristics of the sample. In the second component, the research focused on eight cases qualitatively, with participants from the previous step, using semi-structured interviews that were analyzed, taking into account the objectives of this phase of research and content analysis method. The results showed that 88.3 % of patients used more Positive Religious Coping and 11.7 % utilized predominantly Negative Religious Coping, yet only 28.3 % of the sample used Positive Religious Coping enough to have benefits for the quality of life. The study was unable to find clinical situations in which the types of religious coping are more frequent, but identified a significant relationship between levels of ratio NRC/PRC with the variables education and marital status. The analysis of the interviews showed as the Positive Religious Coping was used as a source of comfort against anxiety and seeking divine help in restoring health. The Negative Religious Coping on the other hand was difficult to be expressed, as it causes guilt and shame. In some cases it was identified that the patients relates with divinity similarly to other relationships that have, repeating relationship patterns (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/23870-8 - The religious-spiritual coping in hospital school patients: a biopsychosocial understanding
• Grantee: Clayton dos Santos Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master