Psychology Final Submission Assignment

FAITH HEALING EFFECTIVENESS 1

The Effectiveness of Faith Healing in Managing Childhood Disorders

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school

course

professor

January 26, 2025

FAITH HEALING EFFECTIVENESS 2

The Effectiveness of Faith Healing in Managing Childhood Disorders

The topic is “Effectiveness of Faith Healing in Managing Childhood Disorders.”This

paper seeks to analyze the historical roots, philosophical implications, and societal impact of

faith healing while addressing its alignment with traditional family values. The thesis asserts that

faith healing, while offering hope and a spiritual connection, often fails to meet the standards of

evidence-based medical practices, potentially undermining the health and well-being of children

within families adhering to this practice. The framed problem challenges the sole reliance on

faith healing to manage childhood disorders, which may conflict with traditional family values

prioritizing health, safety, and holistic care. Historically, faith healing has been a cornerstone in

some cultures and religious communities. However, its results often do not get empirical

validation and raise ethical and moral questions on many levels (Chen et al., 2024). Traditional

family values support the physical and emotional well-being of children, and thus, healthcare

approaches have to balance faith with evidence-based interventions to ensure optimal outcomes.

This topic is crucial to family, faith, and the future because it emphasizes the necessity to

harmonize religious beliefs with current medical research. The philosophical dimension contrasts

faith-based and scientific healing, while the cultural aspect examines its reception in varied

societies. Families need guidance to link medical treatment with spiritual healing practices in

ways that help children succeed and respect their family connection to religion and culture.

These statements are supported by research comparing faith healing to evidence-based therapies

for pediatric illnesses. Faith healing provides emotional and spiritual support but requires

additional medical procedures to treat major health concerns (Irsay et al., 2024). Extreme cases

require timely medical treatment yet patients who put their hope in faith healing delay medical

FAITH HEALING EFFECTIVENESS 3

care and get worse results (Iannello et al. 2022). Healthcare professionals who are culturally

competent protect children's well-being by accepting family traditions (Golsäter et al., 2022).

FAITH HEALING EFFECTIVENESS 4

References

Chen, J. C.-Y., Yu, M., Chang, C.-W., & Carson, J. (2024). The mediating role of flourishing on

religious faith and psychological distress: a pilot survey. Mental Health, Religion &

Culture, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2023.2297082

Golsäter, M., Karlsson Fialoss, M., Olsson Vestvik, S., Anefur, H., & Harder, M. (2022). Child

health care nurses’ cultural competence in health visits with children of foreign

background. Nursing Open, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1393

Iannello, N. M., Inguglia, C., Silletti, F., Albiero, P., Cassibba, R., Lo Coco, A., & Musso, P.

(2022). How are religiosity and Spirituality associated with Health-Related Outcomes of

Adolescents with Chronic Illnesses? A Scoping Review. International Journal of

Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(20), 13172.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013172

Irsay, L., Ciortea, V. M., Popa, T., Iliescu, M. G., & Ciubean, A. D. (2024). Exploring the

Connections between Medical Rehabilitation, Faith and Spirituality. Healthcare, 12(12),

1202–1202. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12121202