RELIGIOSITY AND SPIRITUALITY AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

For a long time, it was believed that religiosity and spirituality (R/S) walked separately from science, which is why the devaluation of this subjective character can still be observed today. In this regard, the positive impact of R/S on patients' health is increasingly clear in the literature. This study aims to evaluate the perception of R/S among medical students facing the fight against COVID-19. This is an analytical, cross-sectional, quantitative and retrospective study carried out through a digital questionnaire applied to medical students. 194 responses were obtained. Of the sample, 62 (32%) considered themselves a fully religious person and 28 (14.4%) did not. In addition, 66 (34%) considered themselves a fully spiritual person and 13 (6.7%) did not. Regarding whether or not there was damage to mental health during the pandemic/social isolation period, 116 (59.8%) stated that they completely agreed and 8 (4.1%) strongly disagreed. When asked if participants agreed that R/S contributed to improved mental health, 120 (61.9%) strongly agreed and 4 (2.1%) strongly disagreed. Yet, when questioning whether the participants resorted more to their R/S in this period of pandemic/social isolation, 72 (37.1%) strongly agreed and 33 (17%) strongly disagreed. When asked if they think that R/S contributes to the healing process, 127 (65.5%) of the participants totally agreed and 14 (7.2%) totally disagreed. From the analysis of the results, it was possible to infer that people with higher wage income have a negative relationship with resorting to R/E. Some studies have shown that people with lower incomes have a more intense religious life, corroborating the initial hypothesis.Given the above, the R/S prove to be important allies of health care.