Christianity, illness and wellbeing

In prior chapters we have reported our findings in the general healthy population, but can the medically ill also improve their wellbeing through Christian living? Can the same Biblical principles apply in individuals suffering the emotional distress of sickness?

Physicians are trained to make treatment decisions based on the scientiﬁc literature to help affect healing. Patients, however, may have a different basis than their doctor to which they ascribe their hope of cure.

Many patients express, in whole or in part, a dependence on God to provide healing for their disease. This may prove awkward for the physician whose basis for treatment typically is drawn from the scientiﬁc literature.

Further, interacting with patients about God may be difﬁcult for doctors because they may not have sufﬁcient knowledge about the patient’s religion to understand the basis of their spiritual hope for healing. Consequently, the physician may lack the ability to adequately counsel their patients regarding religious views. Numerous studies have been published evaluating religious faith and medicine.

Teleios Research – What medical studies say about faith and wellbeing

We are fortunate that many past medical investigators already have performed much work showing that Christian principles enhance wellbeing in people suffering illness. Teleios recently compiled this information into a review of medical literature to determine whether there are ways to help physicians understand how religion affects patients’ lives and diseases (1). This review evaluated 49 articles and found that religious faith is important to many patients, particularly those with serious disease, and patients depend on it as a positive coping mechanism. The vast majority of the research was performed in historically Christian countries.

Results – Our review found that religious faith is important to many patients, particularly those with a serious disease, and that patients depend on it as a positive coping mechanism. Further, many patients react positively to a physician’s spiritual interaction with them, especially with greater severity of their health problems.
Importantly, religious practices, including prayer, generally provide positive results in the patient’s life and treatment, as determined by factors such as a patient’s: knowledge about their disease, adherence to treatment, disease coping, quality of life, and overall health outcomes.
Analysis – Although not completely understood, we speculate that these benefits might have resulted from:
- Religion’s general encouragement to maintain a positive attitude;
- Respect for medical personnel;
- Hope for a potential cure and/or their eternal future;
- The structure of the religious practice to provide the patient with the discipline to learn about their disease and adhere to treatment.
In addition, our review noted that the more a patient practiced the positive aspects of their religion, the greater the benefits on how they coped with their disease and treatment.
Summary – Our review suggested that patients commonly practice religion and interact with God about their disease state. This spiritual interaction may benefit a patient by providing comfort, increasing knowledge about their disease, greater treatment adherence, and quality of life.

Many research avenues remain open regarding religion and disease, including better controlled studies relating the impact of religion on a patient’s quality of life and disease.

Teleios Research – Patients and Christian related wellbeing

Teleios examined Christian related wellbeing in a cross-sectional survey of patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension (2). We evaluated self-reported religious adherence to specific basic activities and knowledge of faith and personal comfort. This specific analysis was limited to self-professed Christians.

Results – The survey included 248 patients from one clinical practice in the southeastern United States and showed that those who were adherent to activities intended to create religious maturity (drawing encouragement from other church members, reading Scripture or encouraging others to have faith), with at least a basic knowledge about their faith, demonstrated greater comfort related to their illness and treatment (Table 1).
Specifically, comfort was manifested as: a positive attitude towards their disease, a better ability to cope with their symptoms, a belief that God was concerned about their diagnosis and helped with their treatment.

When the findings were further analyzed by assessing those subjects who were most ‘adherent’, compared to those who were least adherent, an even greater separation between groups was observed with respect to comfort. This finding may indicate that the more serious a person is about the practice of their religion, the greater sense of wellbeing they may derive from it.
Summary – This study suggested that Christian practice may assist patients in better coping with their disease and that it may possibly increase the quality of their life. This study included patients with a chronic ocular disease.

Teleios Research – Strength of religious adherence and attitudes regarding diabetes

Teleios evaluated by survey a diabetic population for the impact upon a patient’s depth of religious adherence on their outlook towards their disease and treatment (3). The survey was distributed at a clinical site in Kansas City, Missouri.

Results – This study showed that patients most involved in their religious faith (drawing encouragement from other church members, reading scripture or encouraging others to have faith, praise and prayer), and demonstrating at least a basic knowledge about their faith (adherence questions), demonstrated greater personal wellbeing in their life in general and with their diabetic treatment specifically. Wellbeing was manifested by a sense that the patients were: happy, had purpose, peace and were satisfied with life (Table 2).

In addition, patients most adherent to their religion showed a positive attitude towards their diabetic treatment, manifested by: a sense that God cared about their disease, God assisted with their treatment and helped them with coping with the disease and to have a positive attitude.
An additional increase in wellbeing was shown in patients who noted greater knowledge of Biblically described salvation. This finding may indicate that the more serious a person is about the practice of their religion the greater sense of well-being they may derive in relationship to their diabetic disease and treatment.
Analysis – Our findings were consistent with our previous research noted above, and from others, showing religious people generally are happier. However, this study adds to the literature by showing such findings in ophthalmology and specifically in diabetic patients. In addition, these findings found a further benefit to the patient’s sense of well-being in patients more active and knowledgeable about their religion.
The reasons why the wellbeing of diabetic patients in our study was so strongly related to their religious faith were not apparent by our results. Several reasons may exist.
- As these patients were generally older, any benefit from their long standing personal faith would have been more easily transferred to coping with their diabetes.
- The exercise of faith may have provided a perceived outside resource of help providing a sense of greater personal control over their disease and treatment which might enhance wellbeing.
Further, patients who were most active in praise and fellowship with other believers were most likely to believe their doctor was trying to help them. Why these two activities would help the patients’ attitude towards their doctor is not clear by the results. It may be that the positive emotional support of other positive people better allows a patient to have greater trust their doctor and better interpret his or her words and actions in a less negative or suspicious light.
Summary – This study suggests religion/spirituality may be a positive coping mechanism for a diabetic patient regarding their overall well-being as well as their attitude towards their disease.

Chapter summary

This chapter highlights strong evidence from our research, and others documented in the medical literature, that Christianity helps patients in their wellbeing, their attitude towards their disease and their physician. Christian belief provides a great advantage to those who suffer disease without a source of hope. We have a merciful and loving God to those afflicted with disease.

Dehning DO, Nelson LA, Stewart JA, Stewart WC. Does religious adherence help diabetic patients’ well-being? J Christian Nurs 2013;30:e1-11.
Stewart WC, Adams MP, Stewart JA, Nelson LA. Review of clinical medicine and religious practice. J Relig Health Mar 2013;52:91-106.
Stewart WC, Sharpe ED, Kristoffersen CJ, Nelson LA, Stewart JA. Association of strength of religious adherence to attitudes regarding glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Ophthalmic Res 2011:45:53-6.