Religiosidade e espiritualidade do responsável pelos animais de companhia e sua influência no vínculo com o médico veterinário

Abstract

The influence of religiosity and spirituality on adherence to therapeutic practices, quality of life, and human health has been widely documented in the medical literature. Despite companion animals playing a significant role in multi-species families, there is a scarcity of data on the beliefs and values of pet owners that may impact their relationship with veterinarians and animal health. This study aims to evaluate aspects of the religiosity and spirituality of pet owners, relating them to adherence to veterinary medical therapy. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the research was adapted to collect data through an electronic form, and the team met only virtually throughout all stages of the work. Pet owners living in southeastern Brazil were recruited through social media, where a link to an electronic form with 21 questions was provided for 30 days to collect data. The inclusion criteria for this project, based on the evaluation of the results obtained from the questionnaire, were: being responsible for a companion animal(s), being over 18 years of age, and living in the Southeast region of Brazil. The data collection instrument consisted of seven questions related to gender, age, religious affiliation, income, number of people and animals in the household; nine questions related to the participant's relationship with their animals and with the veterinarian; in addition to the five questions from the Duke-Durel religiosity scale, totaling 21 questions answered in an estimated time of 15 minutes. 62 valid responses were obtained. 75.80% of respondents (n=47) declared having some religion or belief, with Spiritism, Catholicism, and Umbanda being the most prominent. 62.91% of participants (n=39) stated that they pray for the health of an animal, and 69.35% (n=43) believe that animals possess some immaterial principle or soul after death. 16.12% (n=10) of those responsible stated that they had not followed a recommendation from a veterinary professional because it went against their values or beliefs, and 48.38% (n=30) stated that they expect the veterinarian to respect their beliefs and be able to address their spiritual concerns. These data reveal that religiosity and spirituality are present in the lives of pet owners and that acknowledging spiritual beliefs is important for the relationship with the client and for therapeutic adherence.