The Role of the Religion Vis-à-vis the 'Health Challenges' of Covid-19
Keywords:
Religiosity, Spirituality, Faith, Pandemic-Covid-19, Dentistry, Aristotle University of ThessalonikiAbstract
Αim: In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the aim of the present study was to investigate to what extent the undergraduate students of the Department of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki felt the need to come closer to their own religiosity, spirituality or faith. Materials and methods: Empirical research was conducted by means of an anonymous questionnaire, comprising demographics and items focusing on religiosity, spirituality and faith. The results of the survey were processed using
MICROSOFT EXCEL IBM SPSS STATISTICS 24 statistical processing software. Results: To overcome health dilemmas, the wide majority of students did not focus on religious & spiritual practices (70% & 66.7%) while at the same time their religiosity & spirituality was not enhanced (74% & 78%). However, for the same period 53% of the students stated that their faith was enhanced. Conclusions-Discussion: While overall students’ religiosity & spirituality indicators were low, for the same period they stated that their faith in overcoming health distress was strengthened, which triggers new questions and prompts further research in the field of humanities.
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