Prayer and meditation practices in the early COVID-19 pandemic: A nationwide survey among Danish pregnant women. The COVIDPregDK study.
Christina Prinds, Niels Christian Hvidt, Katja Schrøder and 6 others
PMID 37209582WHAT IT FOUND
Most Danish pregnant women surveyed during early COVID-19 said the pandemic did not change their spiritual or existential practices.
Nearly half thought often about life's purpose, and 41% prayed or meditated, but these habits were already present and not triggered by the crisis.
Key findings
01The vast majority of respondents reported that the pandemic did not impact their answers regarding existential practices, with 88% scoring low on the impact scale.
0241% of pregnant women reported taking moments to pray or meditate, with 29% specifying a form of prayer and 18% specifying a form of meditation.
0346% of respondents indicated they thought about meaning and purpose in life to some or a high extent, while 44% regarded themselves as believers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study relies on self-reported data from a specific time window (spring 2020), which may not reflect practices later in the pandemic or in other cultural contexts. There is potential selection bias, although 90% of those who completed the general questionnaire answered the specific existential items. The cross-sectional design captures a snapshot and cannot determine causality or changes in practice over time within individuals. The dichotomization of Likert scale data may obscure nuances in how frequently or intensely women engaged in these practices.
Declared interests
The authors declared no financial or other conflicts of interest. The study was funded by universities, the Danish Ministry of Health, and the Region South Denmark.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the 41% prayer and meditation rate as evidence that the pandemic caused an increase in spiritual seeking. The study found that most women reported the pandemic did not impact their answers, indicating these practices were largely pre-existing habits rather than crisis-induced responses.