Supernatural explanatory models of health and illness and healthcare use in China among men who have sex with men

Abstract

People's beliefs in supernatural explanatory models of health and illness-beliefs in divine and/or supernatural forces to inform how they perceive, interpret, and respond to health and illness-may have important implications for their use of healthcare services, especially among individuals with lower socioeconomic status (SES). However, the relevance of such research for contexts with strong Confucian and Buddhist traditions and sexual minority subpopulations remains unclear. We conducted a nation-wide survey in China of 503 men who have sex with men (MSM) to test hypotheses examining how supernatural beliefs impact commitment to a primary healthcare provider and testing history for HIV and syphilis. We also tested hypotheses regarding how SES may moderate such effects. Results indicate that strength of supernatural beliefs is associated with less commitment to a primary care provider and lower likelihood of HIV testing, particularly

Belief in Jinn Possession Scale: Development and validation

“…A variety of data analytics is used to demonstrate the validity and reliability of this instrument. Following the standards of research, the 5-point Likert-type scale was handled as interval-scaled data (Norman, 2010). Analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS® version 21.…”

“…Cultural diversity is present in understanding mental health and the issues related to it globally, but, unfortunately, the dangers of applying Western explanatory models to the experiences of different cultural groups, without an acknowledgment of cultural differences, are obvious (Apers et al, 2023). One of the most commonly encountered cultural explanatory frameworks comprises of faith-driven supernatural explanatory models (Jacobi et al, 2022; Pan et al, 2020; Rathod et al, 2023) that are more resilient one in society than other models. Understanding these indigenous knowledge systems is important because culturally specific notions about mental health may determine how people seek out medical care (Martinez et al, 2020), respond to disease, and the implementation of effective approaches to mental health care (Arundell et al, 2020).…”

Religious affiliation and healthcare (non) utilization in China: a nationally representative study

“…Religiously-informed beliefs in the supernatural can also impact healthcare seeking behaviors. For example, religiously affiliated individuals often subscribe to supernatural explanatory models of health and illness, whereby health outcomes are determined wholly or in part by supernatural forces beyond scientific explanation (Padela et al 2012;Pan et al 2020a;Ruijs et al 2012). Hence, individuals who believe that their health is determined by supernatural forces beyond their control may have weaker motivation to seek out healthcare (Straughan and Seow 1998) or may attempt to invoke divine healing interventions (e.g., prayer) before seeking conventional biomedical healthcare services (Tomkins et al 2015).…”