Religious and spiritual interventions in physical health: Aplicações práticas

• Autor(a) principal: Piasseschi de Bernardin Gonçalves, Juliane
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: Vallada, Homero
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: HU Revista (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.ufjf.br/index.php/hurevista/article/view/26391
• topic: Espirituality; Religiosity; RSI; Clinical trials; Espiritualidade; Religiosidade; IER; Ensaios clínicos

Introduction: The growth of religious/spiritual/ religious (R/S) research on health has been exponential. More recently, studies on R/S intervention (RSI) as a complementary health treatment can be observed, aiming to stimulate this dimension for clinical benefits. Objective: To review RSI research in physical health, highlighting the most important and relevant points. Material and Methods: The present work was based on a recent publication of a systematic review on RSI in physical health. Results: After screening more than 4000 scientific articles, 30 that addressed RSI in physical/clinical outcomes were selected, using rigorous scientific methodology. The RSI had a spiritual or religious focus and their approach techniques were varied. Outcomes included quality of life, weight loss and physical activity, pain, promotion of healthy behavior and others. Regarding clinical outcomes, effect sizes ranged from insignificant to relevant, depending on outcome and population, but no study showed a negative outcome that contraindicated RSI. The methodology of clinical trials was adequate to non-pharmacological proposals, requiring attention to specific items and relevant to minimize bias. Conclusion: The clinical results of the RSI seem promising as a complementary health treatment. The diversity of population, outcomes and RSI protocols should be explored and grounded in scientific background. Future research may be based on new guidelines resulting from current studies aimed at deeper the impact of RSI on complementary health treatments.