Influence of Spirituality on Severity, Quality of Life, and Mental Health of Tinnitus Patients.

This article investigates the influence of spiritual and religious beliefs on symptom severity, mental health, and quality of life in Brazilian patients with chronic subjective tinnitus. Using validated instruments such as the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy – Spiritual Well-Being 12-item scale (FACIT-Sp12), and Brief Religious Coping Scale (Brief-RCOPE), the cross-sectional study of 313 patients found that higher spiritual well-being—particularly the dimensions of Meaning and Peace—was associated with better outcomes, while negative religious coping correlated with worse tinnitus severity, mental health, and quality of life. Religiosity showed mixed effects: nonorganizational religiosity (private religious activities) was linked to improved mental health and quality of life, whereas intrinsic religiosity (internalized religious experience) was associated with greater tinnitus severity. The findings highlight the importance for otolaryngology professionals to consider patients’ spiritual and religious beliefs to provide more comprehensive and integrative care for chronic tinnitus.