Religion and spirituality in pediatric end-of-life: a systematic review.

Résumé

OBJECTIVES: Spirituality is a recognized element of palliative care, with documented benefits for adult patients. However, limited research exists on how religion and spirituality affect children at end-of-life (EOL) and their parents. This review aimed to evaluate the quality of existing studies, describe the spiritual and religious beliefs and practices of pediatric patients and their parents, examine how these factors influence care, coping, and decision-making, and assess the importance of spiritual support during EOL.METHODS: A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. This review included 21 reports with 18 from database searches (MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO) and 3 from hand-searched references published between 2013 and 2024. The date last searched was December 31, 2024. Study quality was assessed using the Standard Quality Assessment Criteria (QualSyst).RESULTS: Findings revealed diverse religious and spiritual practices among families, including faith stability, spiritual care use, and prayer. Key outcomes associated with spirituality included enhanced coping, acceptance, meaning-making, hope, caregiver spiritual well-being, decision-making, and improved parent-child communication. Across studies, spiritual support emerged as a vital component of the pediatric EOL experience.CONCLUSIONS: The review highlights the significant role of religion and spirituality for parents navigating their child's EOL, with implications for emotional and psychological support. These findings underscore the importance for healthcare providers to recognize and integrate spiritual care into pediatric palliative settings. However, the lack of direct pediatric patient input indicates a need for further research to understand how children experience and are influenced by their own religious and spiritual beliefs at EOL.