Religious Activities of Inpatients and Their Family Visitors in Taiwan

Purpose: The purpose was to investigate the contributing factors of practicing religious activities (prayer and attending religious services) that help in overcoming the health problems that had led to the current hospitalization. These activities may be a proxy measure for religious coping with health problems. Design: An exploratory survey study was used. Methods: A convenience sample was determined. Data were collected in 2005 in the inpatient wards of a Taiwanese hospital (n = 1,031 patients and family visitors). Binary logistic regression analyses were used. Findings: Of the participants, 75% offered prayer to their god(s) for help and 57.4% attended a church/temple service. Being a patient and having a longer hospital stay contributed to the increased probability of offering prayer and attending religious services. Conclusions: Prayer and religious service attendance were practiced by the majority of those hospitalized patients and their family. Enriching our understanding of the religious needs of the patients and their family should be continued.