Belief in Miracles May Ease Nurses' Depressive Symptoms

Female nurses who believe God intervenes to cure ill people are less likely to experience depressive symptoms, according to findings published in Mental Health, Religion & Culture. The study, which uses interviews from nearly 4,000 American Indian and South Asian women as well as white, female nurses, asked respondents who believe in God to choose from two statements: “I believe that God intervenes to cure people who are sick by performing miracles or other special types of physical healing” or “I believe that God provides companionship, strength and comfort, but does not typically intervene to perform a miracle.”

“It’s interesting to consider why the results are significant in the sample of predominantly white nurses but not in the more general samples of American Indians and South Asians,” said Blake Victor Kent, associate professor of sociology at Westmont College. “We thought it could relate to religion, as the nurse sample consists mostly of Christians, while the other two groups are more mixed in religious affiliation. But when we looked at the data, we didn’t see much difference by religion.”

Ultimately, the researchers — a team from Westmont, Baylor University, University of California San Francisco and Harvard University — conclude the result may relate to the occupation shared by white participants: nursing. “Nurses have to navigate death and disease on a daily basis,” said Kent. “And we know the emotional labor that comes with nursing is psychologically and spiritually draining. Are there resources to help cope with that strain?”

Kent and his team note that a large scientific literature exists on the use of religion and relationship with God as a coping strategy, and they expect that belief in miraculous healing might reduce some of the stresses of witnessing illness and death. “You’re exposed to so much hurt,” Kent said. “It’s no wonder nursing can be linked to depressive symptoms. But these results suggest believing God can heal people might just help relieve some of that burden. Maybe it’s a sense of relief that not every patient outcome is within your control.”