Religiousness, Spirituality and the use of Healthcare Services in the Management of Prostate Cancer in Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

This study interrogates the interrelations between religious practices, spirituality and biomedical health-care seeking in the management of prostate cancer in Côte d’Ivoire (Abidjan), within a context characterised by therapeutic pluralism and the pronounced salience of religion. The central problematisation examines how socially and spiritually constructed symbolic meanings of illness shape patients’ care trajectories. The objective is to understand how faith, religious beliefs and spiritual practices influence therapeutic decision-making, medical adherence, and the temporalities of engagement with health services. Employing a qualitative methodology, the study draws on semi-structured interviews with men living with prostate cancer, health-care professionals and religious leaders, complemented by an interpretative discourse analysis. Findings indicate that the illness is frequently construed as a spiritual trial, a sanction, or a divine test, legitimising concurrent or alternating recourse to prayer, religious interventions and biomedical care. The discussion highlights logics of complementarity, alongside tensions between medical rationality and religious rationality. In conclusion, the study underscores the social utility of an integrative approach to care that is attentive to patients’ symbolic universes, thereby enhancing therapeutic adherence and the effectiveness of prostate cancer control policies in Côte d’Ivoire.