The Effect of Religious Care by the Clergyman next to the Patient's Bedside on their Depression and Anxiety

The fear of surgery, death, and the debilitating symptoms of the illness make hospitalized patients develop anxiety and depression that may disrupt their performance. Religious care aimed at addressing the religious needs of hospitalized patients can have a significant role in increasing the hospitalized patients’ ability to cope with their illness. Therefore, the researchers aimed to set up a religious-based plan and perform it by the presence of a clergy next to the patients’ bedside and determine its effectiveness on decreasing anxiety and depression of hospitalized patients.
In this randomized controlled clinical trial with control group, 142 hospitalized patients were chosen in the form of random sampling in Nekoui hospital of Qom. They were divided into a test and a control group. Then, the demographic questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale were completed by them. The religious-based plan by the presence of a clergy next to the patients’ bedside was performed in the test group. The two groups were followed after the intervention. All ethical issues were observed in this study and the researchers declared no conflict of interests.
In terms of overall score of hospital anxiety and depression, the results of ANCOVA showed a statistically meaningful difference between the two groups after the intervention (F=35.75, P The presence of special medical teams like responsible clergies who are familiar with health issues and the provision of religious care can decrease patients’ anxiety and depression. Such a religious intervention also has a significant role in boosting patients’ morale and reducing their woes.