Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Utilization of Prayer and Clergy Counseling by Infertile US Women Desiring Pregnancy

• Published in: Journal of religion and health Vol. 57; no. 6; pp. 2230 - 2240
• Main Authors: Collins, Stephen C., Kim, Soorin, Chan, Esther
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer 01.12.2018; Springer US; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aging; Clergy; Clinical Psychology; Continental Population Groups - ethnology; Continental Population Groups - statistics & numerical data; Counseling; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cultural differences; Female; Humans; Infertility; Infertility, Female - ethnology; Infertility, Female - psychology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Original Paper; Pastoral counseling; Prayer; Pregnancy; Public Health; Racial differences; Religion; Religious Studies; Spirituality; Surveys and Questionnaires; Women; United States > US; Religion; Clergy counseling; Race/ethnicity; Infertility; Prayer
• ISSN: 0022-4197; 1573-6571
• DOI: 10.1007/s10943-017-0536-4

Religion can have a significant influence on the experience of infertility. However, it is unclear how many US women turn to religion when facing infertility. Here, we examine the utilization of prayer and clergy counsel among a nationally representative sample of 1062 infertile US women. Prayer was used by 74.8% of the participants, and clergy counsel was the most common formal support system utilized. Both prayer and clergy counsel were significantly more common among black and Hispanic women. Healthcare providers should acknowledge the spiritual needs of their infertile patients and ally with clergy when possible to provide maximally effective care.