SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGIOSITY IN PALLIATIVE CARE: MEANINGS, TENSIONS, AND CHALLENGES IN HEALTHCARE

Abstract

This article aimed to analyze how spirituality and religiosity are addressed in scientific literature within the context of palliative care, considering their contributions to coping with illness, finitude, and suffering, as well as the tensions and challenges involved in their inclusion in the care plan. This qualitative and bibliographic study was structured as a narrative literature review. Eight articles published between 2020 and 2026 were analyzed, retrieved from the SciELO, LILACS, and Google Scholar databases. The data were examined through thematic analysis and organized into two categories: the first comprised five studies on spirituality and religiosity as coping strategies for patients, family members, and caregivers; the second included three studies on professional practices, assessment instruments, institutional barriers, and cultural and religious inequalities. The results indicate that these dimensions may foster hope, comfort, preservation of identity, strengthening of bonds, and meaning-making in relation to illness, although they may also be associated with guilt, spiritual conflicts, and difficulty accepting the clinical condition. It is concluded that spiritual care is essential to the development of comprehensive care that is culturally sensitive and attentive to religious racism, guided by respect for the autonomy, dignity, and singularity of the individuals involved.