EFFECTS OF RELIGION ON THE REACTION TO TERMINAL ILLNESS
Empirical studies have shown that patients want to discuss religious beliefs with their physicians and health care professionals. In a study of 203 adults, 37 percent stated they wanted their physician to discuss their beliefs, 48 percent wanted to pray with their physician, and 77 percent wanted their physician to consider their spiritual needs. Of this group, 68 percent also reported that their physician never discussed religion or spirituality. Thus the problem is, that although the terminally ill patient needs to include a spiritual component in treatment, health care professionals such as physicians and psychologists tend to avoid discussion of religious beliefs or spirituality with patients. Further, the full extent of effects of religion on reactions to terminal illness remains unknown and therefore need to be empirically studied (Mattews, Conti, & Christ, 2000).
Since it has been determined that patients require a religious component when facing terminal illness and studies have determined that high levels of religiosity improve the quality of life for these individuals, and yet this factor remains limited or nonexistent in treatment, it is important to study this problem. The scope of this problem includes almost everyone at one time or another, either as the patient or the family of the patient. Social workers need to understand the role of religion in the terminally ill patient's care in order to better assist them. The potential of prayer has been shown to increase coping, alleviate symptoms and complications, assist with healing, and increase the quality of life for the dying patient (Mattews, Conti, & Christ, 2000). Circirelli (1997) found that higher levels of religiosity was correlated with lower numbers of decisions to end life and higher numbers of decisions to maintain life. Without this component the cost to the patient and the family ranges ...