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Religiosity/Spirituality of German Doctors in Private Practice and Likelihood of Addressing R/S Issues with Patients

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Abstract

This study examined the self-assessed religiosity and spirituality (R/S) of a representative sample of German physicians in private practice (n = 414) and how this related to their addressing R/S issues with patients. The majority of physicians (49.3 %) reported a Protestant denomination, with the remainder indicating mainly either Catholic (12.5 %) or none (31.9 %). A significant proportion perceived themselves as either religious (42.8 %) or spiritual (29.0 %). Women were more likely to rate themselves R/S than did men. Women (compared to men) were also somewhat more likely to attend religious services (7.4 vs. 2.1 % at least once a week) and participate in private religious activities (14.9 vs. 13.7 % at least daily), although these differences were not statistically significant. The majority of physicians (67.2 %) never/seldom addressed R/S issues with a typical patient. Physicians with higher self-perceived R/S and more frequent public and private religious activity were much more likely to address R/S issues with patients. Implications for patient care and future research are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

We kindly thank the medical association of Schleswig-Holstein for the generous support of the study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health and Behavioral Science, Friedensau Adventist University, An der Ihle 19, 39291, Möckern-Friedensau, Germany

    Edgar Voltmer

  2. Professorship of Quality of Life, Spirituality and Coping, Center of Integrative Medicine, University Witten/Herdecke, Witten, Germany

    Arndt Büssing

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Harold G. Koenig

  4. Department of Psychiatry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Harold G. Koenig & Faten Al Zaben

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  1. Edgar Voltmer
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  2. Arndt Büssing
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Correspondence to Edgar Voltmer.

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Voltmer, E., Büssing, A., Koenig, H.G. et al. Religiosity/Spirituality of German Doctors in Private Practice and Likelihood of Addressing R/S Issues with Patients. J Relig Health 53, 1741–1752 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-013-9776-0

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