The role of faith in health promotion in patients with Multiple Sclerosis

• Autor(a) principal: Encarnação, Paula
• Data de Publicação: 2016
• Outros Autores: Oliveira, Clara Costa, Martins, Teresa
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por; eng
• Título da fonte: Revista Brasileira em Promoção da Saúde
• Texto Completo: https://ojs.unifor.br/RBPS/article/view/5727
• topic: Multiple Sclerosis; Faith Healing; Health Promotion.; Esclerosis Múltiple; Curación por la Fe; Promoción de la Salud.; Esclerose Múltipla; Cura pela Fé; Promoção da Saúde

Objective: To understand the perception that people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) have of their personal suffering and to verify whether faith is an internal resource used by them to lessen their suffering. Methods: Study with qualitative approach, centered on the themes - suffering, faith and sense of coherence (SOC), by using semi-structured interview. The study included 15 patients with MS belonging to a support association for MS patients (Portugal). The interviews took place from September to October 2015, in a place previously agreed with the interviewees. For categorization of the data obtained through the interviews, themes previously established were adopted. Hermeneutics was used as theoretical and methodological basis in the thematic analysis of the participants’ discourse. Results: On the theme suffering, the categories allow to understand the impact of suffering on patients with MS. On the theme faith, the categories allow to understand that, in the presence of the MS stressor events, beliefs, spiritual and religious practices can help patients meet the challenges that arise in their health-disease continuum. On the theme sense of coherence (SOC), the categories allow to realize that the SOC in these patients is acquired when they develop the ability to identify, mobilize and use resources in the confrontation of and relief from their suffering, with faith representing one of those. Conclusion: Faith, as a general resistance resource for the person with MS, when mobilized to tackle the disease, provides the acquisition of a SOC that allows these patients to achieve positive health outcomes, and should be a resource offered by the health professionals.