Patterns of religiosity and spirituality of psychiatrists in Brazil and the implications for clinical practice: a latent profile analysis

Abstract

Background Although there is consensus, in psychiatry, over the inclusion of religious and spiritual aspects when evaluating and treating the patient, investigation of these dimensions is rare. There is evidence as to the relationship between psychiatrists’ religious/spiritual beliefs and their willingness to discuss a patient’s religion and spirituality (R/S). Due to the lack of information about how psychiatrists in Brazil deal with R/S in patient care, the aim of the present study is to analyze the religious/spiritual profile of these professionals and to ascertain its influence on attitudes and behavior in clinical practice. Methods Five hundred and ninety-two psychiatrists from Brazil answered a questionnaire about R/S in clinical practice. The latent profile analysis was used to search for differences of religious/spiritual profiles. The ANOVA and Pearson’s chi-square tests were employed to identify any correlation between clinical opinion and behaviors according to the different profiles. Results Two religious/spiritual profiles were identified (entropy value > 0,96): the so called “less religious” group (n = 245), comprised predominantly by men, professionally more experienced, with a higher level of academic education (Master or PhD degrees) and were the ones who least enquired about their patients’ R/S; and the “more religious” psychiatrists (n = 347) those who had higher consideration for R/S on health, and who more often addressed R/S with their patients and therefore usually ascribed importance to include R/S in their professional training. Conclusion The latent profile analysis produced two distinct classes between the Brazilian psychiatrists according to their R/S views: the more religious professionals, who investigate the patient’s R/S in a more detailed manner, and the less religious, who tend to disregard this aspect.

Physicians’ religious/spiritual characteristics and their behavior regarding religiosity and spirituality in clinical practice

“… [12] Later the same research group performed a more detailed latent profile analysis using a more complex measure of R/S on 592 psychiatrists controlling for covariates, showing that less religious psychiatrists less frequently asked about R/S-issues of their patients. [4] Their findings highlight the importance of robust statistical analysis that controls for confounders. Menegatti-Chequini et al also suggest that duration of psychiatric practice and level of academic education negatively correlated with being in the group of highly religious psychiatrists.…”

“…Physicians’ attitudes and self-reported behavior regarding religiosity and spirituality in clinical practice (R/S-B) have been reported to be informed by physicians’ own religious and/or spiritual characteristics (R/S). [1] Physicians who describe themselves as religious or spiritual have been linked with a higher likelihood of discussing and attending to patients’ R/S issues,[ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ] to pray with patients, [1] and less often referring patients to mental health facilities than their non-religious peers. [9] Also, cooperation with clergy and/or pastoral professionals are reported more often by religious physicians.…”

“…Most commonly the association between R/S and R/S-B has been analyzed using single variable measures for R/S-B (i.e., self-reported tendency to inquire about patients’ R/S), and while measurements for R/S have sometimes been based on a single variable[ 8 12 13 ] others have used a composite scale. [ 1 4 5 14 15 ] Findings have been mixed. While some report a positive association,[ 1 4 5 7 8 14 ] others have not been able to confirm this relationship,[ 3 12 13 ] and some have reported mixed results.…”

“…[ 1 4 5 14 15 ] Findings have been mixed. While some report a positive association,[ 1 4 5 7 8 14 ] others have not been able to confirm this relationship,[ 3 12 13 ] and some have reported mixed results. [15] Most studies known to us report findings based on analyses that do not control for known confounders like age, gender and medical specialty.…”

Professor Faustino Esposel: Neurology, football and spiritualism

“…Luciano dos Anjos, a journalist who studies spiritualism, suggests in his work "The True André Luiz" that the identity of the spirit André Luiz would be that of doctor Esposel in life 12 . The relationship of doctors, researchers and intellectuals in general with spiritualism always raises many discussions, in general fierce and without definite conclusions, such as the famous case of doctor and writer Arthur Conan Doyle, among others 13,14 .…”