TCC of Psychology student at Bahiana is presented at the UFBA congress

The student Beatriz Fonseca Aguiar, graduate of the Psychology course at Bahiana, had her course conclusion work presented in the 2019 Research, Teaching and Extension Congress. The event was held at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), on October 29, 30 and 31, and featured presentations of works from different areas of knowledge. “Understanding spirituality and religiosity in the context of palliative care: an integrative review” was the title of the undergraduate research. On October 31, Professor Jéssica Plácido Silva, responsible for guiding this study, presented the TCC at the congress. The annual event, promoted by the Central Administration of UFBA, is open to the external community.

The work "Understanding spirituality and religiosity in the context of palliative care" it aimed to understand how the spiritual and religious dimensions are addressed in the palliative sphere of health care and was carried out through an integrative literature review, as explained by student Beatriz Fonseca, highlighting the motivation to carry out this study. “My interest in the subject began through contact with my advisor during the internship period. Teacher Jessica Plácido was my tutor”, reveals Beatriz.

The student found that there was a learning deficiency in relation to religiosities and spiritualities in undergraduate Psychology courses: “Very few spaces are open for discussions related to the topic, and even less when this space is the classroom. I started to question myself what the importance of spirituality would be and how psychology could embrace these concepts in graduation”. The subject is becoming popular little by little, which is why Beatriz emphasizes that it is essential for students and professionals to research, study and produce more about this area. 

As for the results, the future psychologist explains: “In the context of palliative care, spirituality is shown as a need of the patient and family. Thus, it is recommended that it be part of the comprehensive care of patients with terminal illnesses, as it allows for the maintenance of hope, in addition to alleviating anxieties and redefining the delicate moment”.

Regarding the work that was selected to be presented at the UFBA congress, the student considers the achievement important because it was done in a space outside the Bahiana, very prestigious and of great importance to the scientific community: "I realized that my study is not just a course conclusion work, and I intend to expand it to a field research, in order to spread the idea that we need to talk and discuss more about spirituality in psychology”.