O impacto da espiritualidade e da religiosidade na qualidade de vida de pacientes com doença cardiovascular: revisão sistemática

Abstract

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of morbidity and mortality in the world, with high prevalence and great impact on national health systems. These conditions have a multifactorial etiology and are influenced by several factors, affecting the quality of life of their sufferers. In this scenario, primary studies have shown that spirituality and religion/religiosity positively influence the evolution and outcome of these cardiovascular diseases. Objective: To investigate, through a study with secondary data, the association between the practice of spirituality and/or religiosity (S/R) on the quality of life (QOL) of adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methodology: A systematic review of the scientific literature was carried out, using the PICO strategy and the recommendations of the PRISMA protocol. The searches were carried out in the PubMed, SCOPUS, Lilacs, Medline, Cochrane, Google Scholar and Open Teses databases, using a pre-specified search strategy. Results: Evidence of a positive association between S/R and QOL of adults with CVD was found. The associations varied according to the areas assessed by each work and according to the scales or questionnaires chosen. Nine of the fourteen studies identified in this systematic review showed a positive and statistically significant association ($p<0.05$) between R/S and QoL. Another four studies found a positive association, but without statistical significance. Only one study found no relationship between the variables studied. Conclusion: There is a statistically significant association between religiosity/spirituality and positive effects on various areas of QoL in adults with cardiovascular disease. No negative association was found between the two variables.