Magical Thinking, Religiosity and Bioethical Decisions in Medical Students in Sonora, Mexico

Abstract

Introduction: Although the community tends to appreciate doctors with religious beliefs, these may influence their bioethical decisions and affect patient care in vulnerable groups.
Objective: To study religious beliefs and magical thinking among medical students, as well as their effect on solving ethical dilemmas.
Method: Medical students in their eighth semester were given a validated survey of magical thinking (MTS), the DUREL survey of religiosity (RS) and a bioethical decision questionnaire, followed by the description, correlation and appropriate statistical inference.
Results: We studied 50 pupils, 20 to 27 years old, 26 women and 24 men; half of them answered being Catholic and 20 (40%) to be non-religious. The MTS score (29 to 88, average 46 ± 13.5) and RS score (5 to 26, average 9.8 ± 4.9) were typical of rational, skeptical and secular thinking and showed a significant correlation between them both (r = 0.37, p = 0.008); but in half of the students, traits of magical thinking were found and in three quarters traits of religiosity. All agreed to prescribe contraceptives and refused to deny service to homosexuals, but the induction of abortion or suicide assistance led to divided decisions that enabled the creation of four bioethical profiles, in which the MTS and RS scores differed significantly.
Conclusions: There is an association between magical thinking and religiosity in medical students; both, in addition, associate with a traditionalist bioethical reasoning that enable conscientious objections in controversial treatments.