Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sudeck's syndrome is a chronic and painful disease that affects a significant number of people. Despite this, it is a disease little researched in general and even less in the field of the psychology of religion. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between religiosity and emotions in patients with Sudeck's syndrome. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: The sample consisted of 80 people with Sudeck's syndrome, 92.5% of whom were women. The average age of the participants was 41.8 years, with a range of 23 to 60 years. Participants came from fourteen different countries in the Americas and Europe, including Spain (36.3%), Argentina (20%) and Peru (15%). A clinical and sociodemographic data sheet was used, as well as questions aimed at assessing the emotional state of the participants. RESULTS: The results indicate that patients experienced a significant increase in anxiety and sadness after the diagnosis of the disease, while optimism and energy decreased significantly. On the other hand, no differences were found in positive or negative emotions in believing or non-believing patients. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that the diagnosis of Sudeck's syndrome has a negative impact on the emotional health of individuals and that this is independent of whether the patient is a believer or non-believer. However, further research is needed to confirm these findings and to explore the underlying mechanisms of this relationship.