Abstract
This study examines the connection between health and religious beliefs in modern Chinese society and builds a model reimagining the conception of health. The study draws on interviews with 108 patients (52 were women and 56 were men) at Huashan Hospital (Shanghai City, China). The survey ran between May 10 and May 14, 2021. More than 50% of female and male respondents reported having religious beliefs. Most acknowledged the crucial role of faith and religious beliefs in overcoming treatment challenges and alleviating patient suffering. The role of faith and religious beliefs in physical/mental treatment and health maintenance received the highest average percent positive score among female respondents. According to the multiple regression results of demographic parameters (age, ethnicity, gender, education, and urban or rural residence), only gender had a statistically significant effect on the impact of religious beliefs on health care attitudes. The proposed model builds on the Confucian concept of Ren (humanity), which refers to a harmonious relationship between people within a family or society bound by specific rules. The results of this study can help expand awareness about religion and its role in healthcare as a means to support patients’ spiritual and physical health.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
Data will be available on request.
References
Abdulla, A., Hossain, M., & Barla, C. (2019). Toward comprehensive medicine: Listening to spiritual and religious needs of patients. Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, 5, 40–438. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333721419843703
Albert, E., & Maizland, L. (2020). Religion in China. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/religion-china
Avchinnikova, D. A. (2018). The interaction of medicine and religion at the institutional and personal levels. University Science: A look into the future. In V. A. Lazarenko, I. G. Komissinskaya, & Y. D. Lyashev (Eds.), Proceedings of international conference dedicated to the 83rd anniversary of Kursk State Medical University (pp. 304–307). Kursk State Medical University. https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=34960427
Boone, B. C., Johnson, R. T., Rolando, L. A., & Talbot, T. R. (2021). Use of a comprehensive program to review religious and personal seasonal influenza vaccination exemption requests by healthcare personnel. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 42(5), 507–512. https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2020.1260
Brémault-Phillips, S., Olson, J., Brett-MacLean, P., Oneschuk, D., Sinclair, S., Magnus, R., Weis, J., Abbasi, M., Parmar, J., & Puchalski, C. M. (2015). Integrating spirituality as a key component of patient care. Religions, 6(2), 476–498. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6020476
Chen, Y., Zhao, Y., & Wang, Z. (2020). The effect of religious belief on Chinese elderly health. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 627. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-08774-7
Connolly, M., & Timmins, F. (2022). Experiences related to patients and families’ expression of spiritual needs or spiritual support within healthcare settings during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review. Journal of Religion and Health, 61, 2141–2167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-022-01556-y
Cupery, T., Bush, E., Turner, R. W., Sonnega, A., Rosales, T., Vissa, K., Whitfield, K. E., Jackson, J. S., & Weir, D. (2023). Positive effects of religion and social ties on the health of former NFL athletes. Journal of Religion and Health, 62, 1324–1342. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01338-y
Dein, S., Loewenthal, K., Lewis, C. A., & Pargament, K. I. (2020). COVID-19, mental health and religion: An agenda for future research. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 23(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2020.1768725
Duarte, A. A. M., Lucchetti, G., Teixeira, P. J. Z., & Rigatto, K. (2020). Spirituality and religiosity are associated with quality of life in patients with lung disease. Journal of Religion and Health, 59(4), 1843–1854. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-018-0735-7
Durham University. (2021). Centre for spirituality, theology and health. https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/institutes-and-centres/spirituality-theology-health/
Ellington, L., Billitteri, J., Reblin, M., & Clayton, M. F. (2017). Spiritual care communication in cancer patients. Seminars in Oncology Nursing, 33(5), 517–525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soncn.2017.09.002
Fardin, M. A. (2020). COVID-19 epidemic and spirituality: A Review of the benefits of religion in times of crisis. Jundishapur Journal of Chronic Disease Care, 9(2), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.5812/jjcdc.104260
Fitzpatrick, S. J., Kerridge, I. H., Jordens, C. F. C., Zoloth, L., Tollefsen, C., Tsomo, K. L., Jensen, M. P., Sachedina, A., & Sarma, D. (2016). Religious perspectives on human suffering: Implications for medicine and bioethics. Journal of Religion and Health, 55, 159–173. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-015-0014-9
Fowler, F. J. (2014). Survey research methods, 5th edn. Center for Survey Research, University of Massachusetts, SAGE Publications, Inc. https://books.google.com.ua/books?id=WM11AwAAQBAJ&dq=Fowler,+F.+J.+(2014).+Survey+Research+Methods.+Fifth+edition.&lr=&hl=uk&source=gbs_navlinks_s
Galiatsatos, P., Soybel, A., Bryan, J., Jones, V., Collins, M., Monson, K., Levin, M. B., Johnson, A., Wilson, A., & Anderson, A. C. (2021). COVID-19 medical-religious partnerships: Implementation of a just-in-time COVID-19 training in Catholic schools. Journal of Religion and Health, 60(4), 2362–2370. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01303-9
Garcia, P. J., Alarcón, A., Bayer, A., Buss, P., Guerra, G., Ribeiro, H., Rojas, K., Saenz, R., Salgado de Snyder, N., Solimano, G., Torres, R., Tobar, S., Tuesca, R., Vargas, G., & Atun, R. (2020). COVID-19 response in Latin America. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 103(5), 1765–1772. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-0765
Gehlert, S., & Browne, T. (2012). Handbook of health social work. Hoboken: Wiley. http://196.189.45.87/bitstream/123456789/89444/1/Handbook%20of%20Health%20Social%20work%20%281%29.pdf
Goldman, N. S. (2014). Symptom as symbol: A contribution to the medicine–religion dialogue. Conservative Judaism, 65(4), 107–123. https://doi.org/10.1353/coj.2014.0013
Hashmi, F. K., Iqbal, Q., Haque, N., & Saleem, F. (2020). Religious cliché and stigma: A brief response to overlooked barriers in COVID-19 management. Journal of Religion and Health, 59(6), 2697–2700. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01063-y
Hirata, E., Peach, M., & Tobing, S. (2021). The faith-based advantage: A case study on the Adventist development and relief agency’s response to humanitarian impacts of COVID-19 as a faith-based organization. Christian Journal for Global Health, 8(1), 24–33.
Hughes, J. J. (2019). Buddhism and our posthuman future. Sophia, 58, 653–662. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11841-018-0669-2
Huseynov, A. A. (2018). The golden rule of morality by Confucius. Bulletin of Applied Ethics, 52, 111–118.
Jacobsen, K. H. (2021). Introduction to health research methods: A practical guide. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://books.google.com.ua/books?id=e6PLDwAAQBAJ&dq=Jacobsen,+K.+H.+(2021).+Introduction+to+Health+Research+Methods:+A+Practical+Guide.+&lr=&hl=uk&source=gbs_navlinks_s
Koenig, H. (2018). Religion and mental health. research and clinical applications. Cambridge: Academic Press. https://books.google.com.ua/books?id=iyk0DwAAQBAJ&dq=Koenig,+%D0%9D.+(2018).+Religion+and+Mental+Health.+Research+and+Clinical+Applications.+&lr=&hl=uk&source=gbs_navlinks_s
Kowalczyk, O., Roszkowski, K., Montane, X., Pawliszak, W., Tylkowski, B., & Bajek, A. (2020). Religion and faith perception in a pandemic of COVID-19. Journal of Religion and Health, 59(6), 2671–2677. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01088-3
Kuchyn, I., & Ishchuk, N. (2021). Foreword: Interactions between religion and medicine in Eastern Europe during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic: Social context. Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe, 41(1), 2.
Kulzhanova, G. T., Kulzhanova, Z. T., & Efimova, L. A. (2021). Human capital and sustainable development in a religious context. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 8(3), 169–182. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/757
Lavrentieva, A. Y. (2014). Religion and medicine: Is dialogue possible? In A. V. Makulin (Ed.), Medicine and the humanities: Areas of contact. 1st youth medical forum “medicine of the future to the arctic”; symposium 18 (pp. 91–101). KIRA. http://bono-esse.ru/blizzard/Biomed_Etika/SGMU/02_Humanitar_alsiomy_medobr_vuz.pdf#page=97
Levin, J. (2016). Partnerships between the faith-based and medical sectors: Implications for preventive medicine and public health. Preventive Medicine Reports, 4, 344–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.07.009
Levin, J. (2018). The discourse on faith and medicine: A tale of two literatures. Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, 39(4), 265–282. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11017-018-9449-9
Li, S., Stampfer, M. J., Williams, D. R., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2016). Association of religious service attendance with mortality among women. JAMA Internal Medicine, 176(6), 777–785. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.1615
Liang, Y. (2018). Diversity without pluralism: Religious landscape in mainland China. Religions, 9(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9010022
Luciano, G. (2021). Statistical and multivariate analysis in material science. CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/b21873
McLean Hospital. (2021). Spirituality and mental health program. https://www.mcleanhospital.org/treatment/smhp
Memaryan, N., Ghaempanah, Z., Aghababaei, N., & Koenig, H. G. (2020). Integration of spiritual care in hospital care system in Iran. Journal of Religion and Health, 59(1), 82–95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00864-0
Miyashita, J., Shimizu, S., Fukuhara, S., & Yamamoto, Y. (2021). Association between religious beliefs and discussions regarding advance care planning: A nationwide survey. Palliative Medicine, 35(10), 1856–1864. https://doi.org/10.1177/02692163211029508
Montero-Marin, J., Perez-Yus, M. C., Cebolla, A., Soler, J., Demarzo, M., & Garcia-Campayo, J. (2019). Religiosity and meditation practice: Exploring their explanatory power on psychological adjustment. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 630. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00630
Nassè, T. B. (2020). Religious beliefs, consumption and inter-religious differences and similarities: Is syncretism in consumption a new religious dynamics? International Journal of Management and Entrepreneurship Research, 2(2), 59–73. https://doi.org/10.51594/ijmer.v2i2.125
Nicola, F., & Scaccia, G. (2021). The Italian model to fight COVID-19: Regional cooperation, regulatory inflation, and the cost of one-size-fits-all lockdown measures. Administrative Law Review, 73(1), 53–75.
Ozdemir, A., Serin, E. K., & Savas, M. (2021). The relationship between the stress perceived by the intensive care patient’s relatives with their religious attitudes and behaviors: Turkey sample. Journal of Religion and Health, 60, 752–763. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01116-2
Papadopoulos, I., Lazzarino, R., Wright, S., Ellis Logan, P., & Koulouglioti, C. (2021). Spiritual support during COVID-19 in England: A scoping study of online sources. Journal of Religion and Health, 60(4), 2209–2230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01254-1
Pérez, S., & Rohde, D. (2022). The relationship between religious/spiritual beliefs and subjective well-being: A case-based comparative cross-national study. Journal of Religion and Health, 61, 4585–4607. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-022-01550-4
Qureshi, N. A., Khalil, A. A., & Alsanad, S. M. (2020). Spiritual and religious healing practices: Some reflections from Saudi National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Riyadh. Journal of Religion and Health, 59, 845–869. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-018-0677-0
Rosmarin, D. H., & Koenig, H. G. (2020). Handbook of spirituality, religion, and mental health. Cambridge: Academic Press. https://books.google.com.ua/books?id=OOreDwAAQBAJ&dq=Handbook+of+spirituality,+religion,+and+mental+health.+&lr=&hl=uk&source=gbs_navlinks_s
Rosoff, P. M. (2019). When religion and medicine clash: Non-beneficial treatments and hope for a miracle. HEC Forum, 31(2), 119–139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10730-018-9352-9
Ruel, E., Wagner, W. E., & Gillespie, B. J. (2016). The practice of survey research. Theory and applications. SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483391700
Rumun, A. J. (2014). Influence of religious beliefs on healthcare practice. International Journal of Education and Research, 2(4), 37–48.
Seifman, R., & Forthomme, C. (2020). The role of religion in covid prevention response: Where angels fear to tread. Impakter. https://impakter.com/role-religion-covid-prevention-response/
Sidorov, P. I. (2015). The history of religiously-integrated medicine and prospects for its future development. History of Medicine, 2(2), 148–159. https://doi.org/10.17720/2409-5583.t2.2.2015.14d
Singh, K., Junnarkar, M. O. H. I. T. A., Singh, D., Suchday, S., Mitra, S., & Dayal, P. (2020). Associations between religious/spiritual practices and well-being in Indian elderly rural women. Journal of Religion and Health, 59(6), 2753–2774. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00877-9
Stege, A. M. R., & Godinez, J. (2022). Trusting in God: Religious and spiritual support in mental health treatment expectations in Mexico. Journal of Religion and Health, 61, 3655–3676. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-022-01554-0
Tabei, S. Z., Zarei, N., & Joulaei, H. (2016). The impact of spirituality on health. Shiraz E-Medical Journal, 17(6), e39053. https://doi.org/10.17795/semj39053
Teiser, S. (2018). Introduction: The spirits of Chinese religion. In D. Lopez (Ed.), Religions of Asia in practice (pp. 295–329). Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691188140-022
The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China. (2004). Constitution of the People's Republic of China. http://www.npc.gov.cn/zgrdw/englishnpc/Constitution/node_2825.htm
Timmins, F., & Caldeira, S. (2017). Understanding spirituality and spiritual care in nursing. Nursing Standard, 31(22), 50–57. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns.2017.e10311
Vitorino, L. M., Lucchetti, G., Leão, F. C., Vallada, H., & Peres, M. F. P. (2018). The association between spirituality and religiousness and mental health. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 17233. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-35380-w
Walters, K., & Benjamins, M. R. (2022). Religious beliefs about health and the body and their association with subjective health. Journal of Religion and Health, 61(6), 4450–4465. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01178-2
Wang, J.-H., Wang, R., Lee, J. H., Iao, T. W. U., Hu, X., Wang, Y.-M., Tu, L.-L., Mou, Y., Zhu, W.-L., He, A.-Y., Zhu, S.-Y., Cao, D., Yang, L., Tan, X.-B., Zhang, Q., Liang, G.-L., Tang, S.-M., Zhou, Y.-D., Feng, L.-J., … He, Y. (2017). Public attitudes toward gene therapy in China. Molecular Therapy - Methods and Clinical Development, 6, 40–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omtm.2017.05.008
Weber, S. R., & Pargament, K. I. (2014). The role of religion and spirituality in mental health. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 27(5), 358–363. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0000000000000080
Winiger, F., & Peng-Keller, S. (2021). Religion and the World Health Organization: An evolving relationship. BMJ Global Health, 6(4), e004073. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004073
World Health Organization. (2020). COVID-19 strategy update. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/covid-strategy-update-14april2020.pdf
World Health Organization Foundation. (2021). COVID-19 solidarity response fund. https://covid19responsefund.org/en/
World Religion Database. (2021). Official web site. https://worldreligiondatabase.org/
Yao, X. (2017). Reconceptualizing Confucian philosophy in the 21st century. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4000-9
Yazkova, V. (2020). The Catholic Church in Italy amid coronavirus. Contemporary Europe, 4, 165–175. https://doi.org/10.15211/soveurope42020165175
Zaidi, D. (2018). Influences of religion and spirituality in medicine. AMA Journal of Ethics, 20(7), 609–612. https://doi.org/10.1001/amajethics.2018.609
Zhang, J. H., Zhang, H., Liu, C., Jiang, X., Zhang, H., & Iwaloye, O. (2020). Association between religion and health in China: Using propensity score matching method. Religions, 11(1), 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11010037
Zhou, L., & Sun, Q. (2019). The psychology of peasant religious conversion for the purpose of disease control: The role of belief in understanding Chinese rural religious practices. Chinese Journal of Sociology, 5(4), 474–508. https://doi.org/10.1177/2057150X19872742
Zimmer, Z., Jagger, C., Chiu, C. T., Ofstedal, M. B., Rojo, F., & Saito, Y. (2016). Spirituality, religiosity, aging and health in global perspective: A review. SSM-Population Health, 2, 373–381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2016.04.009
Funding
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
Authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Gu, S., Sokolovskiy, K., Evreeva, O. et al. Religious Beliefs Shaping Health Care and Transforming Health Concepts: The Case of Shanghai. J Relig Health (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-023-01864-x
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-023-01864-x