A new study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine has found that even five minutes of in-person prayer helps reduce pain and anxiety in primary care patients when used alongside standard medical care.
The intervention included researchers examining patients who had – Proximal Intercessory Prayer (PIP) — face-to-face Christian prayer with a trained volunteer, sometimes involving the laying on of hands.
The control group included other patients who did not have prayer but listened to soft, relaxing music for 5 minutes.
The randomised controlled trial involved 180 patients from a university family medicine clinic. All participants had clinically significant levels of pain or anxiety, and were assessed immediately after the intervention and again at two and six weeks.
The study found that those who received prayer reported greater reductions in pain immediately afterwards and at the two-week follow-up, although the difference was not statistically significant by six weeks. Anxiety scores, however, showed an immediate improvement after prayer, which was sustained at both two and six weeks.
Researchers also report no adverse effects from the intervention, and say it was widely accepted by patients, with 97% indicating they would be open to prayer being offered as part of future medical visits.
The findings also suggested stronger benefits among Black participants, something the authors link to existing research on the high use of prayer as a form of complementary support in some communities.
(Agencies)
