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The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Medical Patients in Germany

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Abstract

Using the new developed SpREUK questionnaire (version 1.0b), we examined how German patients (n = 129) with cancer, multiple sclerosis and other diseases view the impact of spirituality and religiosity (SpR) on their health and how they cope with illness. Patients with both a religious and spiritual attitude (32%) had significantly higher values in the sub-scales dealing with the search for meaningful support, and the stabilizing effects of SpR than patients without such attitudes (20%), while patients with a non-spiritual religious attitude (35%) had lower perception of the beneficial effects of their SpR and had significantly lower scores in the search for meaningful support sub-scale. Just half of the non-spiritual religious group and 42% of religious patients are convinced that finding an access to a spiritual source has a positive influence on their illness.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. medical doctor and associated professor of the Department of Medical Theory and Complementary Medicine,Head of the Department of Applied Immunology, Cancer Research Foundation Herdecke, University Witten/Herdecke,Herdecke Community Hospital, Germany

    Arndt Büssing

  2. mathematician and research fellow of the Department of Medical Theory and Complementary Medicine, University Witten/Herdecke, Germany

    Thomas Ostermann

  3. psychiatrist and head of the Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Herdecke Community Hospital, and head of the Department of Medical Theory and Complementary Medicine, University Witten/Herdecke, Germany

    Peter F. Matthiessen

Authors
  1. Arndt Büssing
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  2. Thomas Ostermann
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  3. Peter F. Matthiessen
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Correspondence to Arndt Büssing.

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Büssing, A., Ostermann, T. & Matthiessen, P.F. The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Medical Patients in Germany. J Relig Health 44, 321–340 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-005-5468-8

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