Religious and Spiritual Beliefs and Practices of Persons With Chronic Pain

Abstract

Ninety-five persons receiving treatment for chronic pain were surveyed using the Spirituality and Chronic Pain Survey (SCPS). The survey included a pain assessment, a spiritual/religious practices assessment, and questions related to spiritual/religious beliefs and attitudes. Most participants reported experiencing constant, higher-level pain. The most frequent responses to pain were taking medication (89%) and praying (61%). Results indicated the majority of respondents perceived God or a Spiritual Power as helping them cope with pain and as a source of happiness, connection, and meaning in life. A factor analysis on attitude items of the SCPS identified 4 factors that accounted for 60% of the variance: (a) Spiritual Connection and Meaning, (b) Spiritual Increase and Hopefulness, (c) Spiritual Decrease and Punishment, and (d) Spiritual Power. Results suggest the relevance and utility of spirituality assessment for persons who live with chronic pain. Implications for practice, education, and future research are discussed.

Spirituality and religion in pain and pain management

“…This research identified that positive religious and/or spiritual interventions appears to play an important role in pain management and reduction of suffering. 37,38 Some researchers have found that some types of religious and/or spiritual coping are adaptive (i.e., positive religious coping) while other types are maladaptive (i.e., negative religious coping). Positive coping includes collaborative problem solving with God, helping others indeed, and seeking spiritual support from the community and from a higher power.…”

Pain, Spirituality, and Meaning Making: What Can We Learn from the Literature?

“…Technology has opened a window into the mechanisms of the brain and body when a spiritual or religious seeker experiences a connection with meaning and/or the transcendent. Glover-Graf [36] wondered what it is about religion that allows people to have a better psychological adjustment to pain. Perhaps the answer can be found in the seeking of understanding, meaning, strength, and transcendence, the desire to go beyond.…”

“…They found that prayer was used by half of the subjects to deal with pain, and nearly half of them reported significant pain relief from praying. Glover-Graf, Marini, Baker, and Buck [36] asked 95 patients visiting an anesthesiology pain clinic what they did to cope with their pain and found that the most frequent response was to take medication (89%) and pray (61%). When asked to list the strategies, strengths, and resources they found most helpful, 26.1% of the subjects in Cigrang, Hryshko-Mullen, and Peterson's [37] study spontaneously reported relying on a religious activity or belief to help them cope.…”

“…Pain and disease can challenge one's belief system, although individuals experiencing chronic pain are more likely to become religious/spiritual after the onset of their condition [36]. Chronic pain may cause people to turn to the practices that religious and spiritual institutions advocate for better psychological, mental, and even physical health.…”

Does spirituality as a coping mechanism help or hinder coping with chronic pain?

“…More than 60% of chronic pain patients report that they use prayer to help them cope with pain [31]. Prayer use increases in response to pain [32], and 40% of pain patients report becoming more R/S after the onset of the painful condition [33]. In most research, prayer is identifi ed as a positive resource and is associated with reduced pain and greater psychological well-being and positive affect [34,35].…”