Religion in the US during the time of a Pandemic: A Medical Perspective

Approximately 80% of Americans identify as religious. As physicians caring for patients with COVID-19, we have seen both positive and negative effects of religious activity during the pandemic. Religious worship generally supports close social interaction, which provides many benefits, especially in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of religion and health
Authors: Knight, Dacre (Author) ; Cheshire, William P. (Author) ; Dudenkov, Daniel V. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Springer Science + Business Media B. V. 2021
In: Journal of religion and health
Further subjects:B Coronavirus
B Covid-19
B Religion
B Faith
B Public health
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:Approximately 80% of Americans identify as religious. As physicians caring for patients with COVID-19, we have seen both positive and negative effects of religious activity during the pandemic. Religious worship generally supports close social interaction, which provides many benefits, especially in mental health, but it can also contradict infection control measures. These forces do not necessarily have to be in opposition to each other. Herein, we present three case vignettes of religious patients who were infected with and recovered from COVID-19. We review the potential benefits and risks of religious activity in the current pandemic, as supported by the medical literature. Finally, we offer some thoughts on how to engage with patients so that the benefits of both religious activity and public health measures are optimized.
ISSN:1573-6571
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of religion and health
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s10943-021-01366-8