Pediatrician characteristics associated with attention to spirituality and religion in clinical practice

Abstract

Objective: The literature suggests that a majority of pediatricians believe that spirituality and religion are relevant in clinical practice, but only a minority gives them attention. This project explored this disparity by relating personal/professional characteristics of pediatricians to the frequency with which they give attention to spirituality and religion.

Methods: Pediatricians (N = 737) associated with 3 academic Midwestern pediatric hospitals responded to a survey that requested information concerning the frequency with which they (1) talked with patients/families about their spiritual and religious concerns and (2) participated with them in spiritual or religious practices (eg, prayer). The associations between these data and 10 personal and professional characteristics were examined.

Results: The results demonstrated the disparity, and the analysis identified 9 pediatrician characteristics that were significantly associated with more frequently talking with patients/families about their spiritual and religious concerns. The characteristics included increased age; a Christian religious heritage; self-description as religious; self-description as spiritual; the importance of one's own spirituality and religion in clinical practice; the belief that the spirituality and religion of patients/families are relevant in clinical practice; formal instruction concerning the role of spirituality and religion in health care; relative comfort asking about beliefs; and relative comfort asking about practices. All of these characteristics except pediatrician age were also significantly associated with the increased frequency of participation in spiritual and religious practices with patients/families.

Conclusions: Attention to spiritual and religious concerns and practices are associated with a web of personal and professional pediatrician characteristics. Some characteristics pertain to the physician's personal investment in spirituality and religion in their own lives, and others include being uncomfortable with spiritual and religious concerns and practices. These associations shed light on the disparity between acknowledged spirituality and religion relevancy and inattention to it in clinical practice.