Publication
Parental Use of Religion and Spirituality in Medical Decision-Making
Malcolm H, Desjardins C, Ferrara B, Kitamura E, Mueller M, Betz J, Ragsdale J, Grossoehme D · Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy · 2019
New medical technology has extended children's lives, creating challenges for parental decision-making. Many parents utilize religion or spirituality (R/S). This study examined the semi-structured interviews of 24 parents who made significant medical decisions. Major domains included drawing on guidance from an internal or personal R/S source; some described making decisions by surrendering decision-making agency to the Divine; being guided by beliefs in the afterlife, including that their child's suffering would be alleviated in death, and/or making their decision in a partnership with the Divine. Participants also describe being guided by external R/S sources. Participants spoke about receiving counsel from spiritual communities, that God worked through the medical team, and/or seeking guidance through prayer or spiritual writings. Parents use R/S to make medical decisions for their children, and many consider the chaplain to be part of the medical team. Chaplains have a role to play in helping to facilitate the use of religion/spirituality in medical decision-making for those parents who identify as religious/spiritual as well as those who are not currently utilizing their beliefs.
Synced from the TRENDS in Pediatric Palliative Care Zotero library, curated by The Siden Research Team. ICPCN does not host or verify the full text.