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Spirituality and mental health
Abstract
In many contexts, emotional ailments have been considered problems of religious or spiritual origin. Historically, religious groups were often the primary providers of mental health care. This changed over time with advances in medicine and Freud’s writings framing religion/spirituality (R/S) as a sign of neurosis. In the early- to mid-twentieth century, mental health and R/S were often viewed by Western clinicians and patients as separate and antithetical. Recent decades have been marked by another shift in thought, with increased interest in the overlap between mental health and R/S, and recognition that R/S may in fact serve protective and healing roles in the face of emotional suffering. There has been a concomitant increase in research investigating the connections between R/S and mental health, along with increased development and application of clinical interventions addressing the two in combination. In this narrative review, we summarize the history of how mental health and R/S have been viewed as relating to one another, recent research evidence on the effects of R/S on mental health, and clinical implications of these findings. We conclude with a discussion of ongoing challenges and opportunities in the study and application of how mental health and R/S affect one another.
... Another possible factor of mental health among emerging adults within Metro Manila is spirituality. Spirituality is an inherently inner and personal relationship that concerns one's purpose, truth, and values (Kao et al., 2020). To the authors' knowledge, most existing studies come from foreign nations or focus on older demographics (Thomas and Barbato, 2020;Vaingankar et al., 2021). ...
... Spirituality is an individual's inner beliefs of meaning, truth, and values (Charzyńska and Heszen-Celińska, 2019;Kao et al., 2020). Nonetheless, religious activities such as religious participation, attendance, and involvement do not necessarily translate into spirituality (Kao et al., 2020). ...
... Spirituality is an individual's inner beliefs of meaning, truth, and values (Charzyńska and Heszen-Celińska, 2019;Kao et al., 2020). Nonetheless, religious activities such as religious participation, attendance, and involvement do not necessarily translate into spirituality (Kao et al., 2020). The historical schism between religion and psychiatric Frontiers in Sociology 03 frontiersin.org ...
Introduction:
Mental health disorders are the third most common disorder in the Philippines, showing a need for further studies in this field among the Filipino population. Several studies have shown that sociodemographic characteristics and spirituality could influence the mental health of individuals, although there are sparse studies in the Philippines.
Objectives:
The present study explored the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and spirituality to depression, anxiety, and stress among emerging adults in Metro Manila.
Methods:
The study gathered data using a self-administered sociodemographic characteristics questionnaire, the Core Dimensional Spirituality Questionnaire (CDSQ), and the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS 21). The data collected was then analyzed through linear regression analysis.
Results:
More than half of the participants had significant scores for anxiety, while two out of five participants had significant scores for depression. Almost one out of five participants had significant scores for stress. Depression scores are positively associated with being LGBTQ+ and belief in God, while they are negatively associated with feelings of security. Similarly, anxiety scores are positively associated with being LGBTQ+. Likewise, stress scores are positively associated with being LGBTQ+ and age, while it is negatively associated with feelings of security.
Conclusion:
The findings suggest that LGBTQ+ emerging adults and those with older age may need additional focus in mental health programs. Likewise, mental health programs may also enhance their activities to increase an individual's security.
... M. Amin Syukur describes this period as the "digital human civilization", where although people use digital technology extensively, our mental progress is not in line with or even lags far behind the development of technology. One of the factors that can affect a person's mental health is spirituality (Kao et al., 2020). Spirituality is generally understood as something transcendent in nature, which means it relates to the search for the meaning of life and understanding of life (Lalani, 2020). ...
... Individuals who practice servitude well will usually feel happier than those who often violate religious norms or are indifferent to worship obligations. Spiritual intelligence is the intelligence to take wisdom or meaning from every problem (Kao et al., 2020). It is the intelligence to place our behavior and life in a broader and richer context of meaning, the intelligence to judge that one's actions or way of life are more meaningful than others. ...
Mental health has become an increasingly critical issue in modern society, where stress, anxiety, and depression are prevalent concerns. In this context, exploring how Qur’anic teachings contribute to the understanding and treatment of mental health is essential. This study aims to examine the relationship between Qur’anic teachings and mental health approaches while identifying spiritual principles that support psychological well-being. The research employs a qualitative analysis of relevant Qur’anic verses alongside a literature review on the integration of spirituality into mental health practices. The findings indicate that Qur’anic principles, such as dzikr (remembrance of God), salat (prayer), and tawakkal (reliance on God), offer effective strategies for addressing mental health issues by fostering inner peace and enhancing psychological resilience. The study concludes that integrating spiritual values into mental health approaches not only provides emotional support but also helps individuals cultivate meaning and purpose in life. This knowledge has the potential to contribute to improved mental well-being and overall quality of life in today’s complex society.
... Various factors affect people's mental health, which have been investigated in various studies. However, one factor that can significantly impact the mental health of individuals in society and has garnered increasing attention in recent decades is spirituality, with many studies conducted on this topic [4,5]. Spirituality, as a construct, is constantly evolving and is affected by cognitive transformation. ...
... Spirituality is a distinct, potentially creative, and universal dimension of human experience that emerges both in the mental consciousness of individuals and within societies [10]. Also, spirituality is experienced as fundamentally or ultimately important and is thus related to issues of meaning and purpose in life, truth, and values [4,10]. ...
Background and Objectives: Religious adherence, or being religious, refers to the degree of belief or commitment to the beliefs and practices of a systematic religion, which can help improve people’s mental health in various fields. This research was conducted to determine the mediating role of psychological and spiritual transformation in the relationship between religious adherence and mental health. Methods: This is descriptive-analytical research of the structural equation type. The statistical population included 300 students who were selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method among the universities of Qom City, Iran. To measure the variables, the psycho-spiritual transformation scale, the general health questionnaire (GHQ), and the religious adherence questionnaire (RAQ) were used. Results: The correlation between religious adherence and mental health variables was found to be 0.463, with a significance level of 0.01. Also, structural equations were used to determine the mediating role of psychological and spiritual transformation in the relationship between religious adherence and mental health. The results showed that the standardized factor loading of the religious adherence component was 0.42, and the beta value of this component was 0.17. Also, the level of psychological and spiritual transformation was 0.69 (P=0.01). Based on these findings, the variable of psycho-spiritual development level predicts 69% of the relationship between religious adherence and mental health. Conclusion: The results showed that religious adherence can have either an increasing or decreasing effect on mental health, depending on the mediating role of psychological and spiritual transformation. Therefore, the impact of the relationship between religious adherence and mental health varies according to the level of psychological-spiritual transformation in individuals. The findings suggest that the higher the level of psychological-spiritual transformation, the greater the mental health experienced by individuals.
... Spirituality is a distinct, potentially creative, and universal dimension of human experience that emerges both in the mental consciousness of individuals and within societies [7]. According to Cao, Pettit, and Cook [8], spirituality is experienced as a fundamental or ultimate importance and thus relates to issues of meaning and purpose in life, truth, and values. ...
... The first subscale is physical symptoms, including items about how people feel about their health status and feeling tired (items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). The second component is anxiety characterized by 7 items related to the measurement of anxiety (items 8,9,10,11,12,13,14). The third component is disruption in social functioning. ...
Background and Objectives: This study determines the mediating role of psychological-spiritual transformation in the relationship between God concept and mental health. Methods: This descriptive research uses structural equations to investigate the relationship between variables regarding the mediating role of psychological-spiritual transformation. The statistical population of the research were students of the universities of Qom City, Iran. The multi-stage cluster sampling method with an estimated sample size (300 people) was used to select the study participants. To measure psychological-spiritual development, God concept, and mental health in students, psychological and spiritual development scales, a general health questionnaire by Goldberg and Hiller, and a God concept questionnaire by Janbozorgi were employed. Results: The Pearson correlation coefficient results showed that the correlation between God concept and mental health is 0.659 with a significance level of 0.01. Also, structural equations were used to determine the mediating role of psychological-spiritual development in the relationship between God concept and mental health. The results showed that the standardized factor loading of the God concept component is 0.60 and the β value of this component is 0.71. Therefore, the variable level of psychological-spiritual development predicts 69% of the relationship between God concept and mental health. Conclusion: The results indicated that God concept will have an increasing or decreasing effect on mental health according to the mediating role of mental-spiritual transformation. Therefore, the effect of the relationship between God concept and mental health is not the same considering the level of mental-spiritual development of people. The results obtained in the present study showed that a higher level of mental-spiritual development indicates higher mental health.
... This spiritual activity must be done to maintain a person's physical and mental health. Spirituality can also influence our meaning of life and provide strength from within ourselves to get through complex and challenging times [13]. ...
... This spiritual activity must be done to maintain a person's physical and mental health. Spirituality can influence our meaning of life and provide strength from within to get through complex and challenging times [13]. Spiritual self-care activities consist of attending religious studies or participating in religious activities, reading holy books, listening to music, meditating, including regular acts of kindness in daily life, and so on [14]. ...
Pregnancy-related anxiety is a prevalent mental condition characterized by apprehension and fear about uncertain events. Several factors contribute to anxiety in pregnant women, including Age, education, gravidity, husband's support, and spiritual self-care. This research aims to identify the influencing factors on anxiety levels in third-trimester pregnant women facing the birthing process in Bengkulu City, utilizing a cross-sectional approach. Forty-four respondents were selected through purposive sampling, and data were analyzed using the Spearman rank correlation test. The findings reveal significant relationships between Age (p-value 0.012 < 0.05), education (p-value 0.018 < 0.05), gravidity (p-value 0.026 < 0.05), husband's support (p-value 0.038 < 0.05), and spiritual self-care (p-value 0.000 < 0.05) and anxiety levels. In conclusion, Age, gravidity, education, husband's support, and spiritual self-care are associated with the anxiety levels of third-trimester pregnant women facing the birthing process in Bengkulu City.
... In this study, we instigate to address the spiritual-ontological aspect of human soul. Studies show the relation of religion and spirituality, although the connection between two may vary (Kao, Peteet, & Cook, 2020), spiritual aspect of human being is undeniably significant factor to provide a profound solution for the mental health problems. The spirituality dimension should be involved within discussions regarding mental health, hence it is simply impossible to ignore its significance (Paloudian, 2005). ...
... Lack of knowledge could lead to improper understanding of religion; hence one may resort to mere dogmatic perspective and absence of spirituality; or, on the other side, such excess which may yield to false religious extremism. Spiritual happiness, the one that is intellectual, transcends dogmatic stigma which may be enforced by the lack of knowledge (Kao et al., 2020). Happiness based on knowledge is balanced, judicious yet brings the sense of blessings from Divine Mercy. ...
This article explores the philosophical and spiritual perspectives of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, focusing on his views on the nature of humanity, the spiritual and material aspects of existence, and the pursuit of happiness. Al-Ghazali's philosophy is deeply rooted in Islamic thought and draws upon the Quranic and Prophetic teachings. Al-Ghazali posits that humans are composed of both a physical, ephemeral dimension (the material aspect) and an intellectual-transcendental dimension (the spiritual aspect). The article delves into al-Ghazali's classification of existence into two realms: the realm of decrees ('ālam al-amr) and the realm of creation ('ālam al-khalq). Human beings, according to al-Ghazali, embody both of these realms, with their physicality falling under the realm of creation and their spirituality under the realm of decree. Al-Ghazali introduces various terms to describe the spiritual entity within humans, such as al-‘aql (intellect), al-nafs (soul), al-qalb (heart), and al-rūh (spirit). He argues that while the body is material and earthly, the spirit is divine in origin and immortal. The soul, as God's creation, reflects this governance by ruling over the body without being located in any specific physical part. It emphasizes that the spirit belongs to the realm of Divine decrees, making it distinct from material entities. Al-Ghazali identifies different qualities within the human spirit, ranging from animalistic to angelic. He argues that the angelic quality, associated with the worship of God and the pursuit of Divine Beauty, represents the true essence of humanity. To attain happiness, individuals must purify themselves from worldly desires and base instincts. The article underscores the importance of knowledge in al-Ghazali's philosophy, with knowledge being derived from God and serving as the criterion that separates humans from other creations. Knowledge enables individuals to understand their purpose, responsibilities, and the path to happiness. The article explores al-Ghazali's perspective on happiness, highlighting his belief that it is primarily a spiritual and intellectual state. It emphasizes the significance of attaining knowledge of God for true happiness, as well as the importance of spiritual discipline and self-purification.
... A loved one's death due to suicide is a painful and challenging experience (Jordan, 2001(Jordan, , 2017Jordan & McGann, 2017) that can affect psychological and spiritual well-being (Castelli Dransart, 2018;Lynn Gall et al., 2015). Spirituality can become an essential resource while coping with different life events (Paul Victor & Treschuk, 2020), such as physical illnesses (Koenig, 2015), mental health issues (Kao et al., 2020;Koenig, 2009), psychological traumas (Milstein, 2019), grief (Park & Halifax, 2021) and traumatic grief, such as grief after a child's death (Khursheed & Shahnawaz, 2020) or after a loved one's suicide (Krysinska et al., 2017). Despite the significance of spirituality, it is an overlooked phenomenon in the context of suicide bereavement (Čepulienė et al., 2021;Krysinska et al., 2017). ...
... The findings, in general, are in line with other research studies exploring the concept of spirituality in the field of mental health (Kao et al., 2020;Koenig, 2009). Spirituality provides strength through self-compassion (Khursheed & Shahnawaz, 2020), hope (Chiu et al., 2004), and felt support from a higher power (Castelli Dransart, 2018). ...
Spirituality is often significant for those undergoing suicide bereavement. Our study aimed to explore how women, who are bereaved by their partner’s suicide, describe spirituality. 11 semi-structured interviews have been conducted with female participants using reflexive thematic analysis. Six themes were identified: Spirituality as a resource, Spirituality as a relationship; Spirituality is universal; Spirituality is a changing phenomenon; Spirituality requires effort; Spirituality is between knowing, sensation, and feeling. Female participants who experience bereavement following a partner’s suicide described their understanding of spirituality as a multidimensional phenomenon. Interpretations and practical guidelines are formed.
... Although a secular organization, alcoholics anonymous, and their variations (e.g., overeaters anonymous, narcotics anonymous, sexaholics anonymous) all have used spiritual-related strategies outlined in their 12-step programs to help their participants (Kelly et al., 2020). Community support, mentorship, making amends and asking forgiveness, giving up control to a higher power, all have their roots in religious and spiritual traditions, more notably, Christianity (Kao et al., 2020). ...
... Thus, religious and spiritual wisdom, techniques, approaches, and so forth can be adapted to appeal to an increasingly secular and nonreligious population in order to help with stress and mental health-related concerns and challenges. While many people might be less interested in traditional religion and spiritual groups and traditions, they can still benefit from the wisdom and techniques that these traditions offer (Kao et al., 2020;Plante, 2009Plante, , 2020bRosmarin & Koenig, 2020). ...
While there has been a recent dramatic increase in societal stress and mental health challenges, there has also been a dramatic increase in secularization with more people unaffiliated with any spiritual and religious communities or traditions. Years of research have well-documented the physical and mental health benefits of spiritual and religious practices, engagement, and communities that may no longer be available to those who now consider themselves religious “nones” or “dones.” Clinicians, who are spiritually and religiously informed, trained, and engaged, can help to bridge this gap between high stress and low religious engagement during current times. They can do so by creatively engaging clientele with secular versions of spiritual and religious tools for better health and wellness or by working with clients to find new ways to use spiritual and religious strategies that they feel comfortable with regardless of their lack of religious affiliations and interests. This brief reflection discusses minding the gap of increased secularization and increased mental health needs among clients using spiritual and religiously based perspectives and tools. The reflection also calls for and encourages further research and the practice of evidence-based spiritual and religious interventions within an increasingly stressful and secular society.
... Kim et al. (2010) also showed that the Adler's treatment, especially with the emphasis on a social interest lifestyle, could be effective in reducing anger, depression, and anxiety in middle-aged women who had aggressive behaviors [28]. Moreover, Kao et al. (2020) found that both religion and spirituality had always been effective in reducing the emotional and psychological problems faced by human beings [29]. In Adler's theory of individual psychology, a lifestyle based on social interest ultimately contributes to one's own transcendence in life by pursuing appropriate life goals. ...
... Kim et al. (2010) also showed that the Adler's treatment, especially with the emphasis on a social interest lifestyle, could be effective in reducing anger, depression, and anxiety in middle-aged women who had aggressive behaviors [28]. Moreover, Kao et al. (2020) found that both religion and spirituality had always been effective in reducing the emotional and psychological problems faced by human beings [29]. In Adler's theory of individual psychology, a lifestyle based on social interest ultimately contributes to one's own transcendence in life by pursuing appropriate life goals. ...
Background: According to Adler, lifestyle reflects the individual’s unique, unconscious, and repetitive way of responding to or avoiding main living routines: friendship, love, work, spirituality, family, and self-acceptance. Lifestyle is related to spirituality, as well as the life solutions chosen by a person.
Objectives: The present study aimed to examine the relationship between psychological lifestyle and spiritual intelligence in women.
Methods: In this descriptive-correlational study, all the women referred to counseling centers and health clinics in districts five and six of Tehran in 2020. The participants were 400 women who met our inclusion criteria and volunteered to participate in the study, chosen by the convenience sampling method. For calculating the sample size, we used the Cochran formula. The data were collected using the Self-Report Measure of Spiritual Intelligence (King & DeCicco, 2009) and Adlerian-Based Lifestyle Assessment (Curlette, Wheeler, & Kern, 1993) tools. The collected data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation test by SPSS 16.
Results: The results indicated that 32% of the women were 26 to 30 years old, 38.75% of them had a diploma, and 35.2% had two children. The findings showed a significant and positive relationship between lifestyle and spiritual intelligence (P
... Another trend of self-harming behavior admitted by 8% of the respondents was that they "distanced themselves from God." This behavior is an interesting factor because many Filipinos would identify themselves as highly spiritual as seen in some of the qualitative responses of the students when they do self-help spiritual behaviors like praying and listening to spiritual music and talks and as seen in studies showing that spirituality helps boost mental health and healing (Lagman et al., 2014;Snider & McPhedran, 2013;Kao et al., 2020). Thus, this kind of behavior negatively affects spiritual and mental health. ...
This study looked into the psychological vulnerabilities such as depression, anxiety, stress, and self-harming behavior of iGeneration students. The scales used were the DASS-21 scale and the Self-harm Inventory among the iGeneration in a Philippine local university. The baseline data were then used to develop curriculum interventions for selected general education subjects to address the mental health needs of the respondents. On the other hand, life skills and mental health protective behaviors of the iGeneration were analyzed as variables that need to be strengthened in local mental health programs. Notable results show that the mental health needs of the iGeneration are very apparent, especially in terms of their anxiety level where the majority of the respondents were under severe to extremely severe levels. An alarming result is that almost half of the respondents admitted to engaging in self-harming behaviors. Also, around 7% of the 1548 respondents admitted having attempted suicide. On the other hand, only 10% of the surveyed respondents were seeking professional mental health care. For the respondents’ main source of social support, family and friends are the topmost support followed by school and relatives. Only a few had identified religious groups and community groups serve as a source of social support. Also, life skills in communication and interpersonal relations, creative and critical thinking, and decision-making are the top three priority sets of life-skills identified. With such a scenario, it is crucial to enhance and improve collaborative mental health care initiatives for students.
... So by applying self-compassion and tazkiyah al-nafs, which is by self-reflection or muhāsabah or khalwah, he will understand that he often criticizes himself excessively. The individual begins to practice controlling his mind and soul, knowing that everyone has weaknesses, and tries to accept himself lovingly as long as he draws closer to the almighty God (Kao, Peteet, and Cook 2020). ...
Mental health issues in today’s world are a major concern that must be addressed. Tazkiyah al-nafs emerges as a significant answer to the problem in this context. Tazkiyah al-nafs is primarily concerned with purifying the soul, cleansing the heart of desire and greed, and bringing one closer to Allah. Abu Bakar Atjeh, a well-known Indonesian scholar, believes that tazkiyah al-nafs is one of the most effective medications for people suffering from mental health conditions. Hence, this article aims to explore the concept of tazkiyah al-nafs by Abu Bakar Atjeh and its relevance in addressing mental health problems. This study is library research with a qualitative approach. Data was obtained using documentation techniques, and the collected data was analyzed using descriptive analysis methods. The research concludes that there are two ways to achieve mental health through the tazkiyah al-nafs method, namely khalwah and żikr. The conclusion in this paper is that tazkiyah al-nafs has a positive and comprehensive impact because of its holistic and spiritual-based approach so that these concepts of khalwah and żikr in tazkiyah al-nafs can be applied to various mental health problems.
... This loss led to feelings of loneliness and isolation, becoming a key factor in their spiritual distress [27]. The literature defines the ability to establish meaningful connections with others in the community, family, or close relationships as a social dimension of spirituality [28]. ...
... Western culture has practised treatment for serious mental illness for centuries. There is ample evidence that a combination of psychopharmacology and psychotherapeutic techniques has been effective in the treatment of serious mental illness [mental disorders] (Kao et al., 2020;Ryle & Kerr, 2020;Shalaby & Agyapong, 2020). In other cases, depending on the patient's presentation, psychopharmacology can be used alone for treatment, while others require both psychopharmacology and psychotherapy (Greenway & Rees Edwards, 2020;Javelot et al., 2021;Needs et al., 2019). ...
This article delves into the unique sociocultural landscape of mental healthcare in South Africa, spotlighting the divergent conceptualisations of mental illness inherent in African and Western cultures. While acknowledging certain similarities, it emphasises the importance of integrating African-centred perspectives into psychology’s training and practice. We contend that the prevailing focus on Western approaches to mental illness not only marginalises indigenous beliefs but also perpetuates the dominance of Western medical paradigms in healthcare systems. This trend risks pathologising the African experience of mental health and narrowing the understanding of African humanity through a lens of psychiatrisation and medicalisation. The article advocates for a more formal, integrative approach to mental healthcare that recognises and incorporates African notions of illness and health, underscoring the centrality of culture in the healing process. Our discourse calls for a paradigm shift towards an integrative model that respects and combines the strengths of both Western and African approaches to mental health, thereby fostering a culturally sensitive, inclusive, and effective mental healthcare system in South Africa.
... Western culture has practised treatment for serious mental illness for centuries. There is ample evidence that a combination of psychopharmacology and psychotherapeutic techniques has been effective in the treatment of serious mental illness [mental disorders] (Kao et al., 2020;Ryle & Kerr, 2020;Shalaby & Agyapong, 2020). In other cases, depending on the patient's presentation, psychopharmacology can be used alone for treatment, while others require both psychopharmacology and psychotherapy (Greenway & Rees Edwards, 2020;Javelot et al., 2021;Needs et al., 2019). ...
This article delves into the unique sociocultural landscape of mental healthcare in South Africa, spotlighting the divergent conceptualisations of mental illness inherent in African and Western cultures. While acknowledging certain similarities, it emphasises the importance of integrating African-centred perspectives into psychology’s training and practice. We contend that the prevailing focus on Western approaches to mental illness not only marginalises indigenous beliefs but also perpetuates the dominance of Western medical paradigms in healthcare systems. This trend risks pathologising the African experience of mental health and narrowing the understanding of African humanity through a lens of psychiatrisation and medicalisation. The article advocates for a more formal, integrative approach to mental healthcare that recognises and incorporates African notions of illness and health, underscoring the centrality of culture in the healing process. Our discourse calls for a paradigm shift towards an integrative model that respects and combines the strengths of both Western and African approaches to mental health, thereby fostering a culturally sensitive, inclusive, and effective mental healthcare system in South Africa.
... Western culture has practised treatment for serious mental illness for centuries. There is ample evidence that a combination of psychopharmacology and psychotherapeutic techniques has been effective in the treatment of serious mental illness [mental disorders] (Kao et al., 2020;Ryle & Kerr, 2020;Shalaby & Agyapong, 2020). In other cases, depending on the patient's presentation, psychopharmacology can be used alone for treatment, while others require both psychopharmacology and psychotherapy (Greenway & Rees Edwards, 2020;Javelot et al., 2021;Needs et al., 2019). ...
This article delves into the unique sociocultural landscape of mental healthcare in South Africa, spotlighting the divergent conceptualisations of mental illness inherent in African and Western cultures. While acknowledging certain similarities, it emphasises the importance of integrating African-centred perspectives into psychology's training and practice. We contend that the prevailing focus on Western approaches to mental illness not only marginalises indigenous beliefs but also perpetuates the dominance of Western medical paradigms in healthcare systems. This trend risks pathologising the African experience of mental health and narrowing the understanding of African humanity through a lens of psychiatrisation and medicalisation. The article advocates for a more formal, integrative approach to mental healthcare that recognises and incorporates African notions of illness and health, underscoring the centrality of culture in the healing process. Our discourse calls for a paradigm shift towards an integrative model that respects and combines the strengths of both Western and African approaches to mental health, thereby fostering a culturally sensitive, inclusive, and effective mental healthcare system in South Africa.
... Several studies highlight challenging aspects of including spirituality in caring settings, which partly refer to how symptoms could interact with spirituality (Cook, 2020;Kao et al., 2020). Despite this, studies show that patients' subjective experiences have to be taken into consideration to enhance recovery, and descriptions of psychosis need to be based on a phenomenological understanding to explain neuropsychological imbalances (Clarke, 2010). ...
... According to COR theory, a person can develop resilience by attaining a spiral of resources, such as tangible and intangible resources, notably objects, beliefs, states, or experiences, helping them to tackle challenges (Bardoel & Drago, 2021;Mishra et al., 2022). In line with this, studies argued that spiritual adherence is a mental resource to foster a positive mindset and well-being in coping with challenges (de Oliveira Maraldi, 2020; Kao et al., 2020;Oxhandler et al., 2021). ...
This study develops a conceptual model demonstrating the impact of spiritual adherence on travel resilience in pilgrimage tourism. The study also investigated the role of religious leaders and stress-coping mindsets in helping pilgrims overcome stressful situations during their travels, leading to successful resilience strategies when the pilgrims return home. Data were collected from pilgrims who participated in pilgrimage during a crisis in Ethiopia, Africa. A two-step structural equation modeling procedure was conducted to test the proposed hypotheses, including a mediation and moderation-mediation path analysis. The study found that a stress-coping mindset partially mediates the role of spiritual adherence on resilience. Additionally, spiritual leadership strengthens the relationships (direct and indirect, through a stress-coping mindset) between spiritual adherence and resilience. The findings explained the role of spiritual adherence in the resilience of the pilgrims, along with the influence of a stress-coping mindset and spiritual leadership. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
... A large body of evidence indicates that spiritual and religious backgrounds, beliefs, and practices (SRBBPs) are relevant to most people's psychological well-being [4]. Involvement in religious and spiritual (R/S) practices and communities is related to lower depression, anxiety, suicide ideation and attempts, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance abuse, as well as a higher purpose in life, hope, optimism, and self-esteem [5,6]. ...
Background
A large body of evidence indicates that spiritual and religious backgrounds, beliefs, and practices (SRBBPs) are related to better psychological health. Spirituality and religion (R/S) are also important aspects of multicultural diversity. There is evidence that clients would like to talk about their spirituality, and that including it in assessment and treatment planning can be beneficial. However, the extent to which practicing mental health professionals view SRBBPs as relevant to mental health and clinical practice is unclear.
Methods
A survey examining several aspects of addressing SRBBPs in clinical practice was distributed to 894 professionals across mental health disciplines, including psychiatry, psychology, social work, marriage family therapy, licensed professional counselors, certified chemical dependency counselors, and psychiatric mental health nurses.
Results
89% of mental health professionals agreed that clinicians should receive training in R/S competencies. There were no differences between mental health disciplines in ratings of importance of such training. Younger individuals and those who identify as more spiritual were more likely to consider R/S training as important. Although 47.1% of professionals had not received much R/S training, many perceived themselves to be highly competent in R/S clinical integration practices (57.8% considered themselves able to display them very much or completely). In addition, respondents with more R/S training evaluated themselves as more proficient in R/S clinical integration. Nearly two-thirds (65.2%) of respondents reported encountering few to no barriers to engaging in R/S competent mental health care.
Conclusions
There is a growing consensus among mental health care professionals that mental health professionals should be trained in R/S competencies. Strong agreement exists that basic R/S competencies include respect, empathy, examination of bias, and routine assessment of R/S in mental health care. Four in five of those surveyed agree that more active competencies, such as identifying and addressing religious and spiritual struggles and problems and helping clients explore and access R/S strengths and resources should be included, whereas one in five report less comfort with these competencies.
... However, in recent decades, there has been a renewed and growing interest in the relationship between R/S and mental health. 1,2 The terms religion or spirituality lack a commonly agreed definition, and a comprehensive discussion of concurrent interpretations is beyond the scope of this article. However, the term spirituality usually refers to individual experiences, beliefs, and practices related to the transcendent, while the term religion emphasizes the institutional aspect of spirituality. ...
Objective: Understanding the relevance of religion or spirituality (R/S) in the treatment of mental disorders is central to clinical and academic psychiatry. In this secondary analysis, associations of R/S with depression were investigated with respect to a new second-generation mindfulness-based intervention, the Meditation-Based Lifestyle Modification (MBLM) program. Methods: Different aspects of spirituality, spiritual coping, and spiritual engagement were assessed in 81 patients with a diagnosis of mild-to-moderate depression. Treatment effects on R/S postscores and predictor and moderation effects of depression severity and stress change-scores were evaluated at 8 weeks (MBLM vs. CONTROL [drug continuation therapy] vs. TAU [inpatient treatment as usual]) and 6 months (TAU+MBLM vs. TAU). Results: At both time points, significant differences between MBLM versus TAU and CONTROL were found in a range of spiritual outcomes, most of them with a medium-to-large effect size and in favor of MBLM. Baseline interest in spirituality (p = 0.001) and baseline spiritual mind-body practice (p = 0.017) were identified as independent predictors of change in depression severity at 6 months. Moreover, moderation analyses found that patients reporting often/regular spiritual mind-body practice at 6 months did not benefit differently from TAU+MBLM versus TAU (p = 0.437) regarding their change in depression severity and stress, while those reporting no/seldom spiritual mind-body practice at 6 months benefited significantly worse from TAU than from TAU+MBLM (p = 0.002). Conclusions: Participation in the MBLM program resulted in significantly greater increases in spirituality in depressed patients than standard therapy. Interest in spirituality and engagement in spiritual mind-body practices at baseline were positive predictors of clinical outcome in both groups. Patients of any group who regularly performed spiritual mind-body practices benefited equally in terms of antidepressant outcomes, underlining the benefit of these practices within a general therapeutic framework. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03652220.
... The third hypothesis (H3) findings corroborate the previous theory that spirituality can affect students' mental health levels (Wahyuni & Bariyyah, 2019). In addition, according to (Kao et al., 2020), spirituality and mental health have a positive influence. Another opinion (Hodapp & Zwingmann, 2019) is that spirituality and mental health have a positive and significant relationship and influence. ...
Some adolescents who live in orphanages may feel a lack of affection from their parents during their development; So, some orphanage adolescents experience a lack of guidance in dealing with problems in life, including mental health problems. To prevent this, it is necessary to have an attitude of self-compassion and self-disclosure of adolescents to their foster parents. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen the spirituality of orphanage adolescents to prevent adolescents from mental health disorders. This study aims to find a match and habit of the model of the influence of self-compassion and self-disclosure through spirituality on the mental health of orphanage adolescents. This research uses a survey method with a quantitative descriptive approach to correlational models. The study subjects were orphanages as many as 165 samples were taken randomly at 3 orphans in Yogyakarta. Research data were obtained from observations, interviews, and research questionnaires. Analyze the research data using SmartPLS version 3 software with a two-stage embedded second-order approach. The results of this study show that a match of the research model was found between structural results and empirical data. This study implies that strengthening mental health for adolescents living in foster care can be done by consistently instilling the value of spirituality and improving self-compassion attitudes.
... Although studies examining religion/spirituality and depression generally suggest positive associations, there are also potential negative effects of spirituality and religiosity on depression. Individuals may feel guilt and shame if they cannot meet the standards of behavior expected by their religion/spiritual community, which may lead to anxiety and depression [22]. Individuals who practice religion but utilize negative religious coping mechanisms, such as blaming God for their hardships, have been linked to increased depressive symptoms [19]. ...
Depression is a common, depleting, and potentially life-threatening disorder. This pilot study examined the feasibility and applicability, reported preliminary evidence for effectiveness, and explored the potential healing mechanisms of a faith-based spiritual intervention for people with depression. The intervention consisted of six weekly sessions focused on restoring a connection with the divine, forgiveness and freedom, suffering and transcendence, hope, gratitude, and relapse prevention. Seven adults with mild or moderate depressive symptoms were recruited. A qualitative evaluation was conducted via focus group discussions, and rating scales were administered at baseline, after the intervention, and at the 3-month follow-up. The mean difference scores of the treatment’s effect over time were analyzed using Friedman’s ANOVA. The themes identified by the focus group included the meaning of the spiritual intervention, the effect of involvement in a spiritual group, and the therapeutic components. The results indicated a significant decrease in the mean scores for depression (PHQ-9) after intervention and at the 3-month follow-up. Participants expressed their improvement in terms of increased knowledge about depression, enhanced coping mechanisms, and improved self-esteem. The preliminary evidence suggested that the faith-based spiritual intervention was effective in reducing depressive symptoms and also helped participants develop a greater sense of connection with themselves, others, and their environment.
... After a prolific debate in the past two decades, the important role of religion and spirituality in therapeutic use can be seen as well-documented in the meantime (Garssen et al. 2021;Koenig 2009;Lucchetti et al. 2021;Kao et al. 2020;Rosmarin et al. 2020). Furthermore, spirituality was considered as a potential resource for addressing the threats posed by the COVID-19 pandemic (Arslan and Yıldırım 2021;Coppola et al. 2021). ...
Religiosity and spirituality (R/S) have been described extensively as being an integral part of subjective well-being and mental health, especially in Anglo-American regions. Accordingly, the Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being (MI-RSWB) was developed in the European context to be able to contribute to the further development of this research field by means of a validated measure. In this paper, after an introduction to basic considerations about the scale, more recent developments (from 2012 to 2022) regarding the use of the MI-RSWB are presented. Thus, it is intended to focus here on (1) the presentation of standard values for the MI-RSWB for the Austrian general population, (2) several scale translations into different languages, (3) more recent data on the relationship between RSWB, personality, and mental health, and (4) the potential clinical applications of the RSWB dimensions. As a conclusion, further potential applications of the RSWB concept are discussed.
... At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, scholars assumed that one way to cope with the crises is strengthening faith and relying on this resource (Asadzandi, 2020;Kao et al., 2020;Koenig, 2020;Kowalczyk et al., 2020;Pirutinsky et al., 2020;Barmania and Reiss, 2021;Büssing, 2021). For religious people, making a stronger connection with God can reduce distress, anxiety, and stress and may increase peace and hope, which in Frontiers in Psychology 03 frontiersin.org ...
Background
Spiritual struggles affect the wellbeing of religious people. Among them are strugglers with God which is perceived as non-responsive and distant. These perceptions were so far analyzed predominantly in Western societies with a Christian background, but not in Muslims from Iran. The aim of this study was to determine the predictors of spiritual dryness among cancer patients in Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
Cross-sectional study with standardized questionnaires (i.e., Spiritual Dryness Scale, WHO-5, BMLSS-10, Awe/Gratitude Scale) among 490 cancer patients (mean age 49.50 ± 14.92 years) referring to the selected educational hospitals in Tehran (the capital of Iran), who were selected through convenience sampling and based on the inclusion criteria, enrolled between December 2020–May 2021. Data analysis was done using SPSS software version 26 and the statistical methods including calculating the mean and the standard deviation, correlation coefficients, as well as regression analysis.
Results
The overall experience of spiritual dryness was perceived regularly in 10.2% of Iranian cancer patients, sometimes in 22.9%, rarely in 22.9%, and never in 43.3%. The mean ± SD was 25.66 ± 5.04, and the scores ranged from 10 to 55. A higher score means greater spiritual dryness. The strongest predictors of spiritual dryness were praying activities Furthermore, the perception of burden due to the pandemic was positively correlated with spiritual dryness. Moreover, each 1 unit increase in its score changed the spiritual dryness score by 0.2 units. The regression of spirituality-related indicators, demographic-clinical variables, and health-related behaviors accounted for 21, 6, and 4% of the total SDS variance, respectively. These findings show that with an increase in praying, performing daily prayers, and the indicators related to spirituality, spiritual dryness will decrease. Most patients were able to cope with these phases often or even regularly, while 31.1% were never or rarely only able to cope.
Conclusion
The results of this study showed that in times of crisis, cancer patients’ faith and confidence in God could be challenged. It is not the disease itself which seems to be associated with this form of crisis, but their religious practices. Therefore, it is necessary to support these patients during their struggle, especially as spirituality is one of the best approaches to cope with the disease.
... Since it is not a mere intellectual representation of God, God images affect the existential reality of the person, giving them guidelines and meaning for good living (Lecaros 2017, p. 589). As many research studies from the field of Health Sciences show, religious or spiritual beliefs and practices can play a positive role in emotional suffering and coping with illness, and even favor greater well-being, mental health, and a decrease in depression rates (Angus Reid Institute 2018;Chambers-Richards et al. 2022;Ellison et al. 2014;Huguelet and Koenig 2009;Kao et al. 2020;Koenig 1998Koenig , 2012Loewenthal 2006; Pew Research Center 2019; Valiente Barroso and García-García 2020). God images are no stranger to this. ...
The aim of this article is to analyze God images reflected in 57 interviews conducted among Catholics, Evangelicals, and other people without religious self-identification (“unaffiliated”). The interviews, which follow the Lived Religion approach, were carried out in three Latin American cities (Córdoba, Lima, and Montevideo), and in the city of Bilbao (Spain). In the latter city, both the Latin American immigrant population and the local population were considered. The systematic analysis of the interviews lets us identify a multi-faceted imaginary of the divine with diverse nuances in the images of the benevolent God, the authoritarian God and other hybrid God images. Likewise, it is striking to note what is, and what is not God, as it is reflected in various interviews. The analysis of the identified quotations suggests some differences in God images, based on geographical location and religious belonging, as well as the specific case of the unaffiliated to any religious faith.
... Subsequently, they concluded that different types of Religious/Spiritual Well-Being are associated with mental health and personality in different ways. However, research on different types of religiosity and spirituality seems to remain marginal and there is little literature focusing on their interaction in general (Kao et al., 2020). ...
Background
In the field of mental health, religiosity and spirituality have gained particular attention in recent decades. However, only a few studies to date have investigated the effects of different types of religiosity and spirituality. In association with the recent introduction of a Swedish version of the multidimensional inventory of religious/spiritual well-being (MI-RSWB-S), the present study aimed to identify possible types of Religious/Spiritual Well-Being by using cluster analyses and to examine the extracted groups for differences in the sense of coherence (SOC), the Big Five personality factors, and central aspects of religiosity. Additionally, the study design was intended to further contribute to the validation of the MI-RSWB-S.
Methods
Based on a convenience sample of Swedish students (N = 1,011), initially obtained for the development of the MI-RSWB-S, the study included the MI-RSWB-S, the 13-items sense of coherence scale, the 10-item personality inventory, and the centrality of religiosity scale. For the statistical analysis, cluster analyses and one-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were conducted.
Results
The cluster analyses yielded the following four groups: Religiosity and spirituality high (n = 124), religiously oriented (n = 200), spiritually oriented (n = 149), and religiosity and spirituality low (n = 538). The groups differed in most aspects of well-being, in the personality dimensions agreeableness and openness to experience, as well as in central aspects of religiosity. In contrast, no differences were found for SOC, extraversion, conscientiousness, and emotional instability.
Conclusion
Our results suggest that different types of religious/spiritual well-being are associated with mental health and personality dimensions in substantially different ways, thus offering an interesting potential for future research.
... Penelitian menunjukkan bahwa spiritualitas serta agama merupakan faktor pelindung dan dapat mengurangi penyalahgunaan zat dan berguna sebagai mekanisme terhadap kekambuhan (Kao, Peteet, and Cook 2020). Ada juga hubungan intrinsik antara ketergantungan zat dan spiritualitas (Miller 1994). ...
Konseling spiritual merupakan program rehabilitasi dengan metode religi untuk memberikan Pendidikan keagamaan dan kerohanian. Tujuan penelitian untuk mendeskripikan konseling spiritual bagi pasien rehabilitasi narkoba. Penelitian bersifat kualitatif dengan tahapan: Menentukan pertanyaan, mengumpulkan data-data informan, mendapatkan data, dan laporan. Adapun informan terdiri dari dua orang konselor adiksi Rumah Sakit Jiwa Tampan Instalasi Napza. Hasil penelitian berdasarkan koding Nvivo bahwa konseling spiritual mempunyai tema utama yang sering dibicarakan yaitu konseling spiritual, dampak rehabilitasi serta mental pasien. Ketiganya juga membagi diri menjadi beberapa kata yang sering muncul untuk dibahas oleh narasumber. Berdasarkan hal tersebut pelaksanaan konseling spiritual dilakukan kurang sesuai dengan keadaan mental pasien sebab dalam penerapan konseling spiritual memanfaatkan tenaga dari luar instansi napza seperti tokoh-tokoh agama sehingga pasien masih belum cukup mendapatkan nilai-nilai spirtualitas dari konselor adiksi yang professional pada bidangnya.
... 12). In scholarship, the concepts of religion and spirituality are often used interchangeably as synonymous or as a joint entity "religion/spirituality" (see, for example, Kao, Peteet, & Cook, 2020;Koenig, 2009;McClymont, 2015;Oman, 2018). Acknowledging the complexity of the relationship between spirituality and religion, in the papers that constitute this thesis, I chose to use spirituality as a more inclusive term and refer to religion as an integral part of spirituality. ...
Insights from the field of cemetery research demonstrate that urban cemeteries have a variety of functions, not limited to their primary purpose of providing space for interment of human remains and commemoration of loved ones. This multiplicity of functions and meanings shapes cemeteries’ special place in contemporary cities and calls for a sensitive framework for their planning and management. This thesis sets out to explore the role of cemeteries with two foci: densification processes, which can reconfigure functions of urban green spaces, and postsecular debates, which highlight the relationships between the secular and the spiritual/religious. In many cities, cemeteries indeed function as publicly accessible green spaces and accommodate intrinsic spiritual aspects, yet it remains unclear how their role might be reshaped in dense postsecular cities.
This research is situated within the interdisciplinary field of urban studies and employs the concept of public space as the main theoretical lens. I also draw on the idea of municipal spirituality — a discursive tool intended to integrate the spiritual aspects of places into planning. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to existing research with new knowledge and understanding of the role of urban cemeteries as public spaces with an empirical focus on the policy context. The thesis consists of three scientific papers and an introductory essay.
Inspired by a recent call for more global urban studies, this thesis employs a comparative methodology and uses three cities (Oslo, Copenhagen and Moscow) as case studies in a multiple-case research design. The empirical material (policy documents and interviews with experts) is analysed qualitatively, in both inductive and deductive manners, and supplemented with field observations.
This thesis contributes to the existing body of literature in three ways. First, it establishes a multidimensional framework for the analysis of cemeteries as public spaces and demonstrates how different dimensions are manifested in the three case study cities. The framework illuminates both dimensions inherent to cemeteries (liminal and spiritual) and dimensions common to public spaces in general (multifunctional, multicultural and commercial). Second, the thesis outlines a comparative methodology that enables an assessment of the role of cemeteries in different contexts, as understood by planners and policymakers. While in Oslo and Copenhagen cemeteries are seen as multifunctional green spaces, Moscow cemeteries are viewed predominantly as burial spaces and places for commemoration and their other functions are overlooked. Third, this thesis extends an invitation to revisit debates around the notion of public space. The conceptualisation of urban cemeteries as a special type of public space emphasises the importance of the spiritual aspects — often forgotten in these debates — and points to the demand for a greater diversity of public spaces to fulfil citizen’s varied needs.
... Indeed, mental health concerns can be directly tied to many spiritual struggles, such as anxiety or depression stemming from a perceived inability to live up to certain standards or feeling abandoned by one's Higher Power 1 (Pargament & Exline, 2021). Conversely, spirituality is often seen as a component of mental wellbeing, with lower rates of several mental health conditions observed among individuals who engage in spiritual and religious practices regularly (Kao et al., 2020). However, survey data from DoD chaplains indicated that 74% reported rarely (i.e., less than monthly or never) receiving referrals from mental health and 37% reported rarely making referrals to mental health . ...
Military chaplains and mental health clinicians have unique professional roles and functions within the Department of Defense. However, they also have intersecting roles in delivering care to service members with mental health issues. Although diagnosis and treatment of clinical disorders is the primary focus of mental health clinicians, military chaplains are often the first contact made by service members seeking help for mental health concerns, due in part to issues of greater accessibility, ensured confidentiality, and less stigma. There is growing recognition of the importance of spirituality in the well-being and readiness of service members, as many mental health issues have a spiritual dimension. As a result, chaplains and mental health clinicians often address many of the same issues, albeit with different approaches. This review examines overlap in the work of chaplains and mental health clinicians and contrasts their complementary treatment approaches. These overlapping issues and complementary approaches highlight the potential for greater collaboration between these two professional groups, which could be beneficial for the care of service members. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
... For centuries, the position of religion as part of recovery of the mental health has fluctuated in Western culture (Kao et al., 2020). Depending on the eye of the beholder, the role of religion has been seen as ranging from unhelpful, in which religion has a negative influence on mental distress to helpful, in which religion is a positive resource for individuals on their way towards recovery (Cook, 2019). ...
This case study focuses on the treatment of a 44-year-old Dutch man presenting with an anxious God representation and religious struggles according to DSM-5 criteria. Having received prior treatment for a panic disorder and alcohol use disorder, the patient was given a 60-day treatment in which the Jesus Prayer intervention was used to address his religious and spiritual problems. To our knowledge, this is the first case study involving the Jesus Prayer in the treatment of a patient. The intervention had positive effects on the patient’s religious and spiritual problems concerning an anxious God representation, religious struggles, stress levels and surrender to God. The intervention may also play a supporting role in decreasing symptoms of depression and anxiety and in promoting global mental health, as reliable change index analyses revealed symptom reduction between baseline levels and at post-assessment levels for all measured symptoms, with a semi-gradual decrease over the course of treatment. These improvements were continued in a 3-month follow-up assessment, suggesting promise for the Jesus Prayer as an effective treatment method for religious and spiritual problems. Recommendations regarding the importance of assessing the religious life of patients and implementing spiritual interventions are discussed, as well as the relevance of the therapist’s own assumptions when treating a religious or spiritual problem.
... This process can also be an opportunity for maturation and transformational processes sharing certain characteristics with post-traumatic growth (Schubert et al., 2016). More specific studies on these transformational processes appear as a promising area of research, especially in their relationship with spiritual aspects considering their potential positive impacts on mental health and wellbeing (Brown et al., 2013;Oman, 2018;Kao et al., 2020). ...
In this paper, we propose a clinical approach to the counseling of distressing subjective paranormal experiences, usually referred to as anomalous or exceptional experiences in the academic field. These experiences are reported by a large part of the population, yet most mental health practitioners have not received a specific training in listening constructively to these experiences. This seems all the more problematic since nearly one person in two find it difficult to integrate such experiences, which can be associated with different forms of psychological suffering. After having described briefly several clinical approaches already developed in this area, we outline the main aspects of clinical practice with people reporting exceptional experiences, in particular the characteristics of the clinician’s attitude toward the narrative of unusual events. We then present the core components of a Psychodynamic Psychotherapy focused on Anomalous Experiences (PPAE) based on three main steps: phenomenological exploration, subjective inscription and subjective integration of the anomalous experience. Such an approach, based on a non-judgmental and open listening, favors the transformation of the ontological shock that often follows the anomalous experiences into a potential source of integration and psychological transformation.
... A recent meta-analysis of research on spirituality and mental health outcomes in adults, including 48 longitudinal studies, showed that spirituality was significantly associated with positive mental health outcomes (see Garssen et al., 2021 for a review; effect size: .06-.10), including better life satisfaction, well-being, and quality of life. Other reviews have shown associations of spirituality with lower levels of distress, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems (see Kao et al., 2020 for a review; Kim et al., 2013;Marques et al., 2013). Such positive outcomes were also found for adolescents, with a recent review showing that spirituality promoted youth's psychosocial health (James & Miller, 2017). ...
Empirical knowledge on what specific aspects of mental health are associated with spirituality is limited, and explanations for the mechanisms underlying this association is scarce. Furthermore, there is limited research on this association among individuals from non-Christian religious backgrounds and non-Western countries. The current study examined relations between spirituality and aspects of mental health in 1,544 adolescents from diverse religious backgrounds in two Eastern countries, India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Additionally, we examined mediating and moderating factors. Adolescents (58% female) ages 11–15 years completed a questionnaire on aspects of their mental health, spirituality, and self-control abilities. Results showed that spirituality had a significant positive association with life satisfaction and a significant negative association with internalizing problems, but a non-significant relation with externalizing problems, controlling for age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Self-control completely mediated the association between spirituality and life satisfaction, and this mediational relation was only present for adolescents from the UAE. Results support prior research suggesting positive associations between spirituality and adaptive mental health outcomes and extend these findings to adolescents from diverse religious backgrounds in non-Western countries. These findings have important clinical and policy implications for supporting the role of spirituality in an adolescent’s life.
... -Community -aspects related to the ability to feel significative connection with other persons in the community, their neighbors, or family. This kind of connection could be understood as the social factor of the spirituality (Kao et al., 2020). -Nature -understand the immanent nature as a mean of expression of the sacred. ...
Objective: To investigate the definitions of spirituality in the healthcare field, identifying its main dimensions and proposing a framework that operationalizes the understanding of this concept.
Methods: This is a systematic review following the PRISMA guideline (PROSPERO: CRD42021262091), searching for spirituality definitions published in scientific journals. Searches were carried out in PubMed (all articles listed up to October 2020) and in the reference lists of the articles found in the database, followed by selection under specific eligibility criteria.
Results: From a total of 493 articles, 166 were included in the final analysis, showing that there is a large body of scientific literature proposing and analyzing spirituality definitions. In these articles, 24 spirituality dimensions were found, most commonly related to the connectedness and meaning of life. Spirituality was presented as a human and individual aspect. These findings led us to construct a framework that represents spirituality as a quantifiable construct.
Conclusions: Understanding spirituality is an important aspect for healthcare research and clinical practice. This proposed framework may help to better understand the complexity of this topic, where advances are desirable, given the relevance it has acquired for integral health care.
... psychosozialen Faktoren, wie Widerstandsfähigkeit, Optimismus, Weisheit, soziale Unterstützung, Sinnhaftigkeit, Selbstwirksamkeit und Bewältigung werden gerade durch Spiritualität mitgetragen. Somit stellt Spiritualität einen wichtigen Prädiktor für verbesserte Ergebnisse im Rahmen der psychischen Gesundheit -einschließlich Wohlbefinden, Glück, Lebenszufriedenheit, Stressmanagement, posttraumatisches Wachstum, erfolgreiches Altern, Erholung und Prävention der Psychopathologie -dar (Kravchenko 2020; Famador et al. 2020;Kao et al. 2020). ...
This study raises biblical and psychological aspects to show that the praescriptio of the Letter of 3 John in verses 1-2 is the foundation for concern for the mental health of God's servants. This is because discussions about the mental health of pastors as servants of God often do not receive adequate attention both in the academic realm and in the church itself, even though the facts show the vulnerability of God's servants to this issue. This study uses a word study and literature review approach as the main methods to explore the concept of mental health in the context of God's servants. The results show that the letter of 3 John, especially in verses 1-2, emphasizes the importance of mental health as a crucial foundation for the spirituality and hospitality of God's servants; as expressed in verses 3-4, which show the behavior of truth in everyday life and are reflected in verses 5-8, where the practice of hospitality is praised as part of the testimony of faith.
Background
Research indicates counsellors and psychotherapists receive little training around working with clients who present with religious or spiritual issues and feel unprepared to work with these clients.
Aims
This paper presents part of the findings from an online survey that aimed to explore how trainee and newly qualified counsellors and psychotherapists, who identify as religious or spiritual, experienced undertaking therapeutic training in the UK.
Method
This online survey collected data on how much training participants received on their courses in religion/spirituality, how this training was delivered, how satisfied they were with their training, their knowledge base and skills around religion/spirituality, and what areas relating to religion/spirituality participants would like to see incorporated into therapeutic training. The survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis.
Results
Over half of the participants received no training in this area, with a further third receiving minimal input. Participants reported low satisfaction rates with training received unless integrated throughout their course and identified specific knowledge gaps around religious/spiritual literacy, therapeutic skills, and awareness of religion and mental health research. Participants wanted more input on religion/spirituality in the training syllabus to increase their knowledge base and therapeutic competences.
Conclusion
This research employed a non‐randomised sample, which limits the generalisability of these findings to a wider training population. Survey participants were also a highly religious/spiritual group, with 87% indicating they engaged in weekly religious/spiritual practices. Participants identified as Christian and White, and reported receiving person‐centred or integrative training.
There has been a significant increase in research focusing on the healing role of spirituality in recent years. In this context, the purpose of the current study is to examine the effect of spirituality on death related depression, death anxiety, and loneliness in young adults. A total of 539 young adults, 315 (58.4%) women and 224 (41.6%) men, participated in the study. The participants' ages ranged from 18 to 32 (M = 28.23, SD = 2.63). Personal Information Form, Spirituality Scale, Death Distress, and Loneliness Scale were used in the study. The data of the study were analyzed with SPSS 24. The results of the study show that there is a significant and negative relationship between spirituality and death related depression, death anxiety, and loneliness. The simple linear regression analysis revealed that spirituality explained 7% of the variance in death related depression, 12% of the variance in death anxiety, and 6% of the variance in loneliness. These results can be concluded that spirituality has a protective function against destructive factors such as death related depression, death anxiety, and loneliness. This study once again reveals the importance of carrying out studies to strengthen the spirituality of young adults in particular.
Depression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders worldwide. This study examined the effect of a spiritual connectivity intervention on individuals with depression in a randomized waitlist-controlled trial. Fifty-seven participants with mild or moderate depressive symptoms were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 28) or the waitlist control group (n = 29). The intervention comprised eight weekly sessions focusing on divine connection, forgiveness and freedom, suffering and transcendence, hope, gratitude, and relapse prevention. The outcome measures included depressive symptoms, anxiety, hope, meaning in life, self-esteem, and social support. Participants completed self-administered questionnaires at baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 8), and 3-month follow-up (week 20). Repeated-measures ANOVA and one-way ANCOVA were used to compare the within-group and between-group differences in the changes in outcome variables. Participants in the intervention group showed significant improvements in depression, anxiety, spiritual experience, hope, self-esteem, and perceived social support after the intervention. Effect size statistics showed small to large differences (Cohen’s d, 0.308 to −1.452). Moreover, 85.71% of participants in the intervention group also experienced clinically significant reductions in PHQ-9 scores from baseline to immediate post-intervention. This study highlights the effectiveness of a low-cost, accessible intervention suitable for community implementation by clergy and faith-based organizations.
Six hundred and fifty-four inpatients who participated in a spiritual group therapy intervention provided qualitative feedback regarding what helped them and what could be improved. Patients revealed that enjoying a sense of connection with other people and a sense of openness in the groups and simply talking about spirituality with other people was helpful to them. Many group members requested that groups go on for a longer amount of time than 12 sessions, to have longer sessions, and to have more frequent meetings. In addition, members described improvements that could be made to the group, including members' being better screened, leaders preventing individual members from dominating discussions or from being quiet or leaving the group early, and members' wanting more structure as well as more open discussion. The findings highlight the importance of connection, openness, and spirituality when implementing spiritual group interventions in hospital settings. Implications for future research, training, and clinical interventions are discussed.
The choice of appropriate treatment methods which increase the ability level of the elderly to deal with the physical and mental deficiencies of old age will be a great help to human societies. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and spirituality therapy on the meaning of life and wisdom of the elderly. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design with two experimental groups and one control group. The statistical population of the research included of the elderly of Tehran in 2022. The sample size of the research consisted of 54 elderly selected by convenience sampling method and based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study, and randomly assigned to two experimental groups (MBCT and spiritual therapy) and one control group. Used to collect data were Ardelet's wisdom and Steger et al.'s meaning of life questionnaires. One of the experimental groups underwent eight 90-minute weekly session of MBCT, and the other group received ten 90-minute weekly sessions of spiritual therapy. The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS-24. The results indicated that both MBCT and spiritual therapy are effective on the meaning of life and wisdom of the elderly. However, the effectiveness of the spiritual therapy method on the meaning of life was more than that of the MBCT (P<0.001). Based on the findings of this research, MBCT and spiritual therapy can be used as effective intervention methods to increase the meaning of life and wisdom in the elderly.
Choosing appropriate treatment methods that help to solve the problems of older adults will be a great help for human societies. Feelings of loneliness (FOL) is one of the important problems of older adults that affects the health, well-being and longevity of them, and any effort to solve it seems necessary. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and spirituality therapy on FOL in older adults. This was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest-follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population of the research was made up of older adults who were member of neighborhood community centers in Tehran in 2022. The sample of the research consisted of included 54 older people aged 60-75 years, selected using convenience sampling method and according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, and randomly assigned into two experimental groups with 17 members each (MBCT and spiritual therapy) and a control group with 20 members. The measure was Russell et al.'s Loneliness Questionnaire. One of the experimental groups underwent eight 90-minute sessions of MBCT based on the guidelines of Tizdel et al. and the other experimental group received ten sessions of spiritual therapy based on the instructions of Waziri et al. The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS-24. The results indicated that both MBCT and spirituality therapy groups significantly reduced FOL compared to the control group in both the post-test and follow-up phases (P<.01). However, there was no significant difference between the two therapeutic methods in both the post-test and follow-up phases in reducing FOL (P>.05). Based on the findings of this research, it is suggested to use MBCT and spiritual therapy as therapeutic methods to help reduce FOL in older adults.
Joe Vitale asked question to Dr. Hew Len about how exactly he healed violent patients without actually seeing each of them in person and without any medical treatment. He answered for that “I didn’t heal them. I healed part of myself that created them”. Dr. Hew Len was the most avid student and practitioner of MorrnahSimeona and he observed healing powers of Ho’oponopono practically. After 2017, researcher was under depression (till 2021) to find answer of her. Researcher tried to understand the meaning of Dr. Hew Len answered sentence researcher read many article on ho’oponopono process during March to December 2021 and practically apply everything on her and I have found very drastically changes in her life. ho’oponopono practice literally did a magic to me and pulled out me from depression. Through this study researcher going to find that, there is any significance relation between ho’oponopono process and spiritual power of Gratitude and Forgiveness to clean yourself from negative vibe and prepare your subconscious mind for your joyful life.
This chapter reviews theory existing research and presents the authors’ analysis of in-depth interviews with information technology (IT) professionals on the relationship between spirituality and mental health protection. The participants of the study are representatives of a specific professional group burdened with many stereotypes concerning their psychological functioning, often considered to be far from sustainable mental health. Extant research shows evidence of a negative correlation between spirituality and mental health diseases such as anxiety, depression, suicide, and schizophrenia. The chapter is focused on (a) operationalization of spirituality as a biologically rooted phenomenon in the light of David Hay’s conception, (b) identifying the relationship between spirituality and sustainable mental health, (c) analysis of this relationship by exploiting qualitative research design, i.e., in-depth biographical interviews from IT professionals. The results show that IT professionals treat a high sense of spirituality as a personal competence, which makes them be more involved in their work and feel happy in their personal lives, which results in sustainable mental health protection on an existential level. Moreover, spirituality is narratively understood as a biographical phenomenon, which plays an important role to provide courage to face new challenges, providing a feeling of satisfaction, and creating empathy to others in the professional life of IT experts. Spiritual evidently can create happiness in the personal and professional lives of IT professionals and develops more patience in tough times, which are also some of the signs of good mental health. Based on our results, we propose organizations introduce professional training programs to enhance spirituality in IT professionals for sustainable mental health.KeywordsSpiritualityMental healthHappinessInformation technology professionals
Spirituality and Psychiatry addresses the crucial but often overlooked relevance of spirituality to mental well-being and psychiatric care. This updated and expanded second edition explores the nature of spirituality, its relationship to religion, and the reasons for its importance in clinical practice. Contributors discuss the prevention and management of illness, and the maintenance of recovery. Different chapters focus on the subspecialties of psychiatry, including psychotherapy, child and adolescent psychiatry, intellectual disability, forensic psychiatry, substance misuse, and old age psychiatry. The book provides a critical review of the literature and a response to the questions posed by researchers, service users and clinicians, concerning the importance of spirituality in mental healthcare. With contributions from psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, nurses, mental healthcare chaplains and neuroscientists, and a patient perspective, this book is an invaluable clinical handbook for anyone interested in the place of spirituality in psychiatric practice.
BACKGROUND: Burnout is one of the problems that often arise in nurses. This condition needs prevention and one of the ways is a self-leadership approach and emotional intelligence mentoring from spiritual aspects. Spirituality has been shown to be a protective factor among a number of health service-providing populations. AIM: This study aimed to analyzing differences in nurse burnout rates based on spiritual aspects through self-leadership training and emotional intelligence mentoring. METHODS: This study used a quasi-experimental method using a pretest-posttest. The population of this study was nurses at RSUD Noongan and RSU GMIM Bethesda Tomohon. Sampling used simple random sampling and a sample of 159 nurses was obtained. This study used the Maslach Burnout Inventory questionnaire on nurses to see the level of fatigue experienced before the intervention was given and the Revised Self-Leadership Questionnaire was adapted to measure nurses’ self-leadership and a questionnaire to see the knowledge of research subjects (nurses) related to emotional intelligence. Furthermore, to see the spirituality levels, we used Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality. Data analysis methods used in this study were t-test. RESULTS: The results show that before the intervention, the results of statistical tests also showed an indirect effect of spirituality on burnout with p = 0.004. Furthermore, before the intervention, the results of statistical tests also showed an indirect effect of spirituality on burnout with p = 0.004. Meanwhile, after the intervention, p = 0.000 is obtained. CONCLUSION: It can be seen that there are differences in the burnout rates of nurses before and after intervention at the hospital.
Spirituality is an elusive concept to articulate. Not only do people define it in different ways, but all definitions somehow seem to be incomplete. In this article, eighty-eight undergraduate and graduate students from George Mason University (GMU) participated in a study to define spirituality within the context of higher education. Results of the study suggest the following theme-categories. First, spirituality is an abstract reality, which is difficult to define. Second, spirituality is a moral compass, giving direction and meaning to people; and third, spirituality and religion are not the same, but they are interrelated. Since spirituality is a fluid concept that is unique from person to person, the article recommends that institutions of higher education need to incorporate into curricula mechanisms that provide students creative expressions of learning that are experiential, critical, and reflective, including opportunities that enable students to grow and develop holistically, which includes the spiritual aspect of growth, through open spaces of conversation and dialogue, and experiential learning such as community immersion and cross-cultural exchange programs as these will help cultivate and nurture their interests and aspirations, thereby, enabling them to develop meaning and purpose in life.
Purpose
The present study was performed to determine the prevalence, characteristics, perceived benefits, and predictors of complementary health approaches use (CHA) in Turkish patients with mental disorders.
Design and Methods
The present study was performed with 413 patients with mental disorders.
Findings
In the present study, 62.2% of the patients had used CHA in the last 12 months. The most common types of CHA used were religious/spiritual activities and herbs. According to the multivariate logistic regression model, sex, education level, marital status, employment status, medical diagnoses, and duration of diagnoses were significantly associated with increased CHA use.
Practice Implications
The CHA use by patients should be investigated, and education and counseling should be provided by health professionals to improve patient safety and patient outcomes.
Mental health has become a domain of professional and scientific endeavor, distinguished in the modern mind from spirituality, which is understood as a more subjective, transcendent, and private concern. This sharp separation has been challenged in recent decades by scientific research, which demonstrates the positive benefits of spirituality/religion (S/R) for mental health. Increasing scientific interest in the topic is to be welcomed, but the contribution of theology to the debate has been neglected. It is proposed here that Jesus’ life and teaching are presented in the synoptic Gospels as fundamentally concerned with what we now call mental health. Jesus’ teaching on worry, for example, offers various psychological strategies for dealing with anxiety. Moreover, it presents prayer as an effective and constructive response to worry, involving disciplined attention rather than avoidance. Critical interdisciplinary conversations between science and theology on matters such as worry offer a constructive approach to understanding the human condition in the context of adversity.
Purpose: Through active participant engagement, this project aimed to better comprehend the spiritual care needs of New Zealand cancer patients and their families and friends, and to gain further insight from others, including healthcare practitioners. Methods: A co-design process was undertaken, which involved presentations and interactive group workshops on the topic of spirituality and spiritual care. A facilitated, semi-structured discussion centred around three main topic areas: the meaning of spirituality; the documentation of spirituality in healthcare settings; current spiritual care development needs; and areas for improvement. The Framework Method was used to undertake an inductive analysis of the qualitative data in order to develop key themes according to topic area. Results: Key concepts constructed from our analysis of the three main topic areas include: Participants broadly understood spiritualty to be characterized by core values, expressions of love and kindness, and connectedness with others and/or with the environment; participants felt as if documentation of spiritual beliefs had the potential to inform others about their needs and wishes participants also recommended that opportunities be created for people to engage in conversation about spirituality, and that this should be undertaken purposefully. Importantly, responses often alluded to the great diversity of need when it comes to spiritual care. Conclusions: Integration of spiritual care into health system policies, intake and assessment processes, care plans, and training and professional development opportunities, are all required in order to reflect relevant national guidelines and strategies more effectively.
The goal of the current study was to examine the daily associations between gratitude and spirituality using experience sampling data. Limited research has used experience sampling methodology (ESM) to examine changes in gratitude across short spans of time. Research has also failed to explore the potential importance of spirituality on these trajectories. The current study had 81 participants answer daily questions about gratitude and spirituality. Results indicated that gratitude significantly increased over the 3-week study period and that both self-reported spirituality and spiritual behaviors (i.e., prayer, meditation) positively contributed to this increase. Findings showcase the effectiveness of bringing awareness to an individual’s feelings of gratitude using intervention methods like ESM. Results also highlight the importance of spirituality in increasing feelings of gratitude.
The purpose of this study is estimate a model that contains five hypotheses: (1) people who attend worship services more often will receive more spiritual support; (2) individuals who receive more spiritual support will be more humble; (3) people who are more humble will be more likely to forgive; (4) people who are more forgiving will find a greater sense of meaning in life; and (5) a greater sense of meaning in life will be associated with better self-rated health. Data from a nationwide survey of adults age 18 and older (N = 1,744) provide support for each hypothesis.
Numerous studies show that personal spirituality developed through prayer positively
influences mental health. Phenomenological and neuroscientific studies of mindfulness,
an Eastern meditative prayer form, reveal significant health benefits now yielding
important insights useful for guiding treatment of psychological disorders. By contrast,
and despite its practice for millenia, Christian meditation is largely unrepresented in
studies of clinical efficacy. Resemblances between mindfulness and disciplinary acts in
Christian meditation taken from the ancient Greek practice of askesis suggest that
Christian meditation will prove similarly beneficial; furthermore, psychological and
neuroscientific studies suggest that its retention of a dialogical and transcendent praxis
will additionally benefit social and existential psychotherapy. This paper thus argues that
study of contemplative meditation for its therapeutic potential is warranted.
Plethora of researches has been carried out for the last many decades and has identified relationship between mental health and religious convictions; in particular, range of religious practices has been found instrumental in the promotion of mental health. The aim of this paper is to find out association between mindfulness in Salah (prayer) and mental health of individuals who identify themselves with Islam and to examine the mental health of those Muslims who offer Salah prayer with mindfulness and those who offer without mindfulness. A total of 174 participants with mean age of 21.57 including 62% males and females 38% were selected through convenient sampling. RAND Mental Health Inventory was used to measure mental health and other three variables; three self-reported measures were constructed. They included Islamic religious education scale, Salah education scale and mindfulness in Salah scale. Psychometric properties for all scales were established. The findings indicated that mean on mindfulness and mental health was significantly higher for those who were offering Salah (prayer) regularly (p < 0.01) as compared with those who were not offering it regularly. Moreover, those who were offering Salah (prayer) with mindfulness had also significantly higher mean for mental health (p < 0.01) as compared with those who were offering it without mindfulness. Religious education, Salah education and mindfulness were able to account for 13% of the variance in mental health (p < 0.01). Of note two of the measures included Salah education and mindfulness made a significant contribution in the prediction of mental health (p < 0.01). The present study indicated that individuals who offer prayer regularly and with mindfulness have better mental health as compared with those who don't offer it regularly and with mindfulness. The findings of this study urge to spread awareness regarding offering prayer regularly with mindfulness for the better outcome of mental health in people.
Religiosity, often measured as attendance at religious services, is linked to better physical health and longevity though the mechanisms linking the two are debated. Potential explanations include a healthier lifestyle, increased social support from congregational members, and/or more positive emotions. Thus far, these mechanisms have not been tested simultaneously in a single model though they likely operate synergistically. We test this model predicting all-cause mortality in Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs), a denomination that explicitly promotes a healthy lifestyle. This allows the more explicit health behaviors linked to the religious doctrine (e.g., healthy diet) to be compared with other mechanisms not specific to religious doctrine (e.g., social support and positive emotions). Finally, this study examines both church activity (including worship attendance and church responsibilities) and religious engagement (coping, importance, and intrinsic beliefs). Religious engagement is more inner-process focused (vs. activity-based) and less likely to be confounded with age and its associated functional status limitations, although it should be noted that age is controlled in the present study. The findings suggest that religious engagement and church activity operate through the mediators of health behavior, emotion, and social support to decrease mortality risk. All links between religious engagement and mortality are positive but indirect through positive religious support, emotionality, and lifestyle mediators. However, church activity has a direct positive effect on mortality as well as indirect effects through religious support, emotionality, and lifestyle mediators (diet and exercise). The models were invariant by gender and for both Blacks and Whites.
Multiple studies have examined the relationship between religious involvement and depression. Many of these investigations reveal a negative correlation between these constructs. Several others yield either no association or a positive correlation. In this article, we discuss possible explanations for these discrepant findings. We investigate the degree to which relational spirituality factors mediate the relationship between religious involvement and depression in a sample of graduate students. Results indicated that spiritual instability and disappointment in God were distinct predictors of depression over and above the predictive strength of religious involvement. Implications for training and conceptualization are discussed.
A growing number of people are seeking health recovery treatments with a holistic approach to the human being. Meditation is a mental training capable of producing connection between the mind, body and spirit. Its practice helps people to achieve balance, relaxation and self-control, in addition to the development of consciousness. At present, meditation is classified as a complementary and integrative technique in the area of health. The purpose of this review of the literature was to describe what meditation is, its practices and effects on health, demonstrated by consistent scientific investigations. Recently, the advances in researches with meditation, the discovery of its potential as an instrument of self-regulation of the human body and its benefits to health have shown that it is a consistent alternative therapy when associated with conventional medical treatments.
The aim of the study is to explore the relationship between gratitude, forgiveness, humility and happiness and to determine the prediction levels of gratitude, forgiveness and humility on happiness. 443 university students (321 female, 110 male), studying at Sakarya University-Faculty of Education, participated in the study. 12 of the students did not give information about their gender. The Heartland Forgiveness Scale, The Gratitude Questionnaire, The Humility Scale and The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire-Short Form were used as measures. Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Hierarchical Regression Analysis were conducted. Considering the relationships between predictor variables (gratitude, forgiveness and humility) and happiness, gratitude and happiness were found to positively correlate. Sub dimensions of forgiveness: forgiveness of self and forgiveness of situation were similarly found positively related with happiness, whereas no significant relationship was found between forgiveness of others and happiness. Finally, there was a positive correlation between openness and focusing on others, which are sub dimensions of humility and happiness, and a negative correlation between humility towards self and happiness. The relationship between modest self-assessment and happiness was not significant. According to the results of the hierarchical regression analysis conducted to determine the predictive value of sub dimensions of gratitude, humility and forgiveness on happiness, entering the model in the first level, gratitude was the predictor that mostly accounted for happiness. Sub dimensions of forgiveness: forgiveness of self and forgiveness of others did not significantly predict happiness, however forgiveness of situation significantly predicted happiness. Both openness and modest self-assessment as sub dimensions of humility significantly accounted for happiness. The findings are discussed in the light of the related literature.
We aim to evaluate the perceptions of healthcare students while taking a spiritual history (SH). Fifty students were trained on how to take a SH, interviewed inpatients and answered a questionnaire concerning their perceptions. A total of 362 patients were interviewed: 60.1 % of students felt comfortable taking a SH, 85.1 % believed the patient liked the approach, and 72.1 % believed more benefits could come with a follow-up. When students felt more comfortable, they tended to believe the patient: liked the approach (p < 0.01), felt better (p < 0.01) and more motivated (p < 0.01). Spirituality/health educational strategies may be a valid strategy to prepare future health professionals to face spiritual issues in health scenarios.
Considerable research has examined the relationship between religion and mental health. This study adds to the literature
in this area by addressing two main questions: (1) Is the frequency of prayer associated with symptoms of anxiety-related
disorders among US adults? (2) Is this association conditional on the nature of individuals' attachment to God? We examine
these questions using data from the 2010 Baylor Religion Survey (N = 1,511). Results reveal no meaningful associations between the frequency of prayer and anxiety symptoms. In contrast, anxious
attachment to God is positively correlated with psychiatric symptoms, while secure attachment to God bears a modest inverse
association with these outcomes (when anxious attachment is excluded from the model). Results also show that prayer is inversely
associated with symptoms of anxiety-related disorders among individuals who have a secure attachment to God, but positively
associated with these outcomes among those who have a more insecure or avoidant attachment to God. Several study limitations
and promising directions for future research are discussed.
Intervention studies have found that psychotherapeutic interventions that explicitly integrate clients' spiritual and religious beliefs in therapy are as effective, if not more so, in reducing depression than those that do not for religious clients. However, few empirical studies have examined the effectiveness of religiously (vs. spiritually) integrated psychotherapy, and no manualized mental health intervention had been developed for the medically ill with religious beliefs. To address this gap, we developed and implemented a novel religiously integrated adaptation of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of depression in individuals with chronic medical illness. This article describes the development and implementation of the intervention. First, we provide a brief overview of CBT. Next, we describe how religious beliefs and behaviors can be integrated into a CBT framework. Finally, we describe Religiously Integrated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RCBT), a manualized therapeutic approach designed to assist depressed individuals to develop depression-reducing thoughts and behaviors informed by their own religious beliefs, practices, and resources. This treatment approach has been developed for 5 major world religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism), increasing its potential to aid the depressed medically ill from a variety of religious backgrounds. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).
Objective:
Despite empirical evidence of a relationship between religiosity/spirituality (R/S) and mental health and recommendations by professional associations that these research findings be integrated into clinical practice, application of this knowledge in the clinic remains a challenge. This paper reviews the current state of the evidence and provides evidence-based guidelines for spiritual assessment and for integration of R/S into mental health treatment.
Methods:
PubMed searches of relevant terms yielded 1,109 papers. We selected empirical studies and reviews that addressed assessment of R/S in clinical practice.
Results:
The most widely acknowledged and agreed-upon application of R/S to clinical practice is the need to take a spiritual history (SH), which may improve patient compliance, satisfaction with care, and health outcomes. We found 25 instruments for SH collection, several of which were validated and of good clinical utility.
Conclusions:
This paper provides practical guidelines for spiritual assessment and integration thereof into mental health treatment, as well as suggestions for future research on the topic.
Research suggests that spirituality and religion are significant variables contributing to mental well-being and that they can also play an important part in the treatment of mental disorders. The present paper reviews studies which show that psychiatrists are less likely than their patients to report religious affiliation. While mental health service users report that they wish spirituality to be addressed during their treatment, psychiatrists appear to be more divided as to whether spiritual or religious matters should be addressed within routine clinical enquiry and treatment planning. However, psychiatric practice itself might be understood as requiring a kind of faith, albeit not religious, within which basic principles of clinical care are accepted by virtually all psychiatrists. It is also clear that explicit religious faith (of the patient and the psychiatrist) does potentially have an important impact on the clinical consultation, whether for good or for ill. There is a need for guidelines to govern the ways in which this impact might most effectively be managed, both ethically and therapeutically.
Background:
Several studies have reported weak associations between religious or spiritual belief and psychological health. However, most have been cross-sectional surveys in the U.S.A., limiting inference about generalizability. An international longitudinal study of incidence of major depression gave us the opportunity to investigate this relationship further.
Method:
Data were collected in a prospective cohort study of adult general practice attendees across seven countries. Participants were followed at 6 and 12 months. Spiritual and religious beliefs were assessed using a standardized questionnaire, and DSM-IV diagnosis of major depression was made using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Logistic regression was used to estimate incidence rates and odds ratios (ORs), after multiple imputation of missing data.
Results:
The analyses included 8318 attendees. Of participants reporting a spiritual understanding of life at baseline, 10.5% had an episode of depression in the following year compared to 10.3% of religious participants and 7.0% of the secular group (p<0.001). However, the findings varied significantly across countries, with the difference being significant only in the U.K., where spiritual participants were nearly three times more likely to experience an episode of depression than the secular group [OR 2.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.59–4.68]. The strength of belief also had an effect, with participants with strong belief having twice the risk of participants with weak belief. There was no evidence of religion acting as a buffer to prevent depression after a serious life event.
Conclusions:
These results do not support the notion that religious and spiritual life views enhance psychological well-being.
Background:
Religious participation or belief may predict better mental health but most research is American and measures of spirituality are often conflated with well-being.
Aims:
To examine associations between a spiritual or religious understanding of life and psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses.
Method:
We analysed data collected from interviews with 7403 people who participated in the third National Psychiatric Morbidity Study in England.
Results:
Of the participants 35% had a religious understanding of life, 19% were spiritual but not religious and 46% were neither religious nor spiritual. Religious people were similar to those who were neither religious nor spiritual with regard to the prevalence of mental disorders, except that the former were less likely to have ever used drugs (odds ratio (OR) = 0.73, 95% CI 0.60-0.88) or be a hazardous drinker (OR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.69-0.96). Spiritual people were more likely than those who were neither religious nor spiritual to have ever used (OR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.02-1.49) or be dependent on drugs (OR = 1.77, 95% CI 1.20-2.61), and to have abnormal eating attitudes (OR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.10-1.94), generalised anxiety disorder (OR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.09-2.06), any phobia (OR = 1.72, 95% CI 1.07-2.77) or any neurotic disorder (OR = 1.37, 95% CI 1.12-1.68). They were also more likely to be taking psychotropic medication (OR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.05-1.86).
Conclusions:
People who have a spiritual understanding of life in the absence of a religious framework are vulnerable to mental disorder.
The present study assessed the attitudes and beliefs that mentally ill Christians encountered when they seek counsel from the church. Participants (n ¼ 293) completed an anonymous online survey in relation to their interactions with the church. Analysis of the results found that while a majority of the mentally ill participants were accepted by the church, approximately 30% reported a negative interaction. Negative interactions included abandonment by the church, equating mental illness with the work of demons, and suggesting that the mental disorder was the result of personal sin. Analysis of the data by gender found that women were significantly more likely than men to have their mental illness dismissed by the church and/or be told not to take psychiatric medication. Given that a religious support system can play a vital role in recovery from serious mental disorders, these results suggest that continued education is needed to bring the Christian and mental health communities together.
To evaluate the relationship between religiousness and mental health, hospitalization, pain, disability and quality of life in older adults from an outpatient rehabilitation setting in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Cross-sectional study.
A total of 110 patients aged 60 years or older were interviewed during attendance at an outpatient rehabilitation service.
Researchers administered a standardized questionnaire that assessed socio-demographic data, religiousness, self-reported quality of life, anxiety, physical activity limitation, depression, pain and cognition. Predictors were included in each model analysis, and a backward conditional method was used for variable selection using logistic regression (categorical outcomes) or linear regression (continuous outcomes).
Thirty-one patients (28.2%) fulfilled criteria for significant depressive symptoms, 27 (24.5%) for anxiety, and 10 (9.6%) for cognitive impairment. Pain was present in 89 (80.7%) patients. Limited depressive symptoms (as assessed by the Geriatric Depression Scale), and greater self-reported quality of life were related to greater self-reported religiousness, as were scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination (less cognitive impairment), and lower ratings of pain.
Religiousness is related to significantly less depressive symptoms, better quality of life, less cognitive impairment, and less perceived pain. Clinicians should consider taking a spiritual history and ensuring that spiritual needs are addressed among older patients in rehabilitation settings.
Importance
Previous studies have linked suicide risk with religious participation, but the majority have used ecologic, cross-sectional, or case-control data.
Objective
To examine the longitudinal association between religious service attendance and suicide and the joint associations of suicide with service attendance and religious affiliation.
Design, Setting, and Participants
We evaluated associations between religious service attendance and suicide from 1996 through June 2010 in a large, long-term prospective cohort, the Nurses’ Health Study, in an analysis that included 89 708 women. Religious service attendance was self-reported in 1992 and 1996. Data analysis was conducted from 1996 through 2010.
Main Outcomes and Measures
Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to examine the association between religious service attendance and suicide, adjusting for demographic covariates, lifestyle factors, medical history, depressive symptoms, and social integration measures. We performed sensitivity analyses to examine the influence of unmeasured confounding.
Results
Among 89 708 women aged 30 to 55 years who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study, attendance at religious services once per week or more was associated with an approximately 5-fold lower rate of suicide compared with never attending religious services (hazard ratio, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.06-0.46). Service attendance once or more per week vs less frequent attendance was associated with a hazard ratio of 0.05 (95% CI, 0.006-0.48) for Catholics but only 0.34 (95% CI, 0.10-1.10) for Protestants (P = .05 for heterogeneity). Results were robust in sensitivity analysis and to exclusions of persons who were previously depressed or had a history of cancer or cardiovascular disease. There was evidence that social integration, depressive symptoms, and alcohol consumption partially mediated the association among those occasionally attending services, but not for those attending frequently.
Conclusions and Relevance
In this cohort of US women, frequent religious service attendance was associated with a significantly lower rate of suicide.
Objectives
We conducted an online cross-sectional survey to determine the understanding of spirituality and spiritual care among clinical and non-clinical staff caring for people with chronic and terminal conditions
Background
As health-care moves towards a more person-centred approach, spiritual care has become more important in patients’ care. Recent evidence shows positive associations between addressing patient spiritual needs and health outcomes.
Methods
We administered an adapted Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS) used by the Royal College of Nursing to hospital and community-care staff (n=191) in Sydney, Australia. This survey examines perceptions of spiritual care and participant abilities to meet patients’ spiritual needs.
Results
The response rate to the SSCRS survey was 84 of 191 eligible participants (44%). Agreement was high on items describing talking to and observing patients and their loved-ones to identify spiritual needs (mean – 90%). However agreement was low concerning items describing the use of data collection tools and talking with colleagues to identify patients’ spiritual needs (mean – 43%). Participants recognised patients’ spiritual needs (mean-86%), but when asked if they were able to meet these spiritual needs, only 13% (n- 11) stated they were always able to do so. Hence, there was strong agreement on actions for guidance and support for staff dealing with patients’ spiritual and religious issues (n-71 85%) and that spiritual care education and training is required (n-64 76%).
Conclusion
We have identified strong agreement of the importance of delivering spiritual care but uncertainty in the ability to recognise and meet spiritual needs of patients by clinical and non-clinical hospital staff. Our results also show that spiritual care training for hospital staff is now required. Therefore, evidence-based models of spiritual care education and training require further study
DSM-5® Handbook of the Cultural Formulation Interview provides the background, context, and detailed guidance necessary to train clinicians in the use of the Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI), which was created as part of the 2007-2013 DSM revision process. The purpose of the CFI—and this unique handbook—is to make it easier for providers to account for the influence of culture in their clinical work to enhance patient-clinician communication and improve outcomes. Cultural psychiatry as a field has evolved enormously from the days when it was principally concerned with epidemiological and clinical studies of disease prevalence, it now examines a multitude of issues, primary among them the differing patient, family, and practitioner models of illness and treatment experiences within and across cultures. The editors, all of whom have been intimately involved in the evolution of the field, have designed the book and accompanying videos for maximum instructional and clinical utility.
This article summarizes research prior to 2010 and more recent research on religion, spirituality, and health, including some of the latest work being done by research teams at Columbia University, Harvard University, Duke University, and other academic medical centers. First, terms such as religion, humanism, and spirituality are defined. Second, based on his research team's previous systematic review of quantitative studies published in the peer-reviewed literature prior to 2010, the author discusses the findings from that research on the effects of religion and spirituality (R/S) on (1) mental health-well-being, purpose in life, hope, optimism, self-esteem, depression, anxiety, suicide, and substance abuse; (2) health behaviors-exercise, diet, cigarette smoking, and risky sexual activity; and (3) physical health-coronary artery disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality. Third, the author examines the latest research on the prevalence of spiritual needs among individuals with serious or terminal medical illnesses, the consequences of ignoring those needs, and the results of clinical trials that have examined the effects of spiritual assessments by physicians. Finally, the author reviews the research currently being conducted at Duke University on the efficacy of religious cognitive-behavioral therapies and on the effects of religious involvement on telomere length in stressed caregivers. Resources are provided that will assist seasoned researchers and clinicians who might be interested in doing research in this novel and expanding area of whole-person medicine.
According to Google Scholar, the 1st edition of the Handbook, published in 2001, is the most cited of any book or research article on religion and health in the past forty years (Google 2011). This new edition is completely re-written, and in fact, really serves as a second volume to the 1st edition. The 2nd edition focuses on the latest research published since the year 2000 and therefore complements the 1st edition that examined research prior to that time. Both volumes together provide a full survey of research published from 1872 through 2010 -- describing and synthesizing results from over 3,000 studies. The Second Edition covers the latest original quantitative scientific research, and therefore will be of greatest use to religion/spirituality-health researchers and educators. Together with the First Edition, this Second Edition will save a tremendous amount of time in locating studies done worldwide, as well as provide not only updated research citations but also explain the scientific rationale on which such relationships might exist. This volume will also be of interest to health professionals and religious professionals wanting to better understand these connections, and even laypersons who desire to learn more about how R/S influences health.
The rationale for assessing the spiritual needs of psychiatric patients is examined as a prelude to addressing the question of how to do this. A number of approaches are considered. The emphasis is on varieties of practical history-taking suitable for the repertoire of every psychiatrist in training and those engaged in CPD. Finally, some of the consequences of identifying spiritual needs in psychiatric patients are discussed.
Spiritual awakening, a key aspect of 12-Step recovery, is designated in the 12th Step of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). The authors applied a psychiatric survey instrument to 161 long-term AA members who reported having had such an awakening. Sixty-seven percent of respondents reported no craving for alcohol or drugs at the time of this survey. Their awakening had most often taken place gradually (60%), while they were working the Steps (52%), and right after bottoming out (57%). Their responses reflected a major experiential transformation, including highly significant changes: decreases in craving and depression and increases in service to other AA members. A factor analysis of descriptors of the awakening revealed the following six dimensions of the experience, with variability across respondents: positive mood, abstinence, interpersonally related, a sensory experience, God-related, and related to personal meaning. Findings showed that it is feasible to characterize commonalities in the nature of a spiritual awakening as a major transformative event across many long-term AA members, though the specific character of the experience differs across individuals.
The author discusses spirituality as a human phenomenon that is independent of, yet open to, matters of personal religion and belief in God. Although commonly expressed through religion and theist belief, the author views spirituality as a universal mental phenomenon with an inherent “normativity”; it can, therefore, be legitimately addressed as a prescriptive aspect of psychology apart from theology and religion. An elaborated psychology of spirituality helps therapists focus the psychotherapeutically relevant and spiritual issues in the client's presentation; build on the client's healthy commitments; and reinterpret or deflect the unhealthy and, thus, foster the client's personal integration and, ipso facto, the client's spiritual growth.
Objective:
This study examined the influence of church- and family-based social support on depressive symptoms and serious psychological distress among older African Americans.
Methods:
The analysis is based on the National Survey of American Life. Church- and family-based informal social support correlates of depressive symptoms (CES-D) and serious psychological distress (K6) were examined. Data from 686 African Americans aged 55 years or older who attend religious services at least a few times a year are used in this analysis.
Results:
Multivariate analysis found that social support from church members was significantly and inversely associated with depressive symptoms and psychological distress. Frequency of negative interactions with church members was positively associated with depressive symptoms and psychological distress. Social support from church members remained significant but negative interaction from church members did not remain significant when controlling for indicators of family social support. Among this sample of churchgoers, emotional support from family was a protective factor and negative interaction with family was a risk factor for depressive symptoms and psychological distress.
Conclusion:
This is the first investigation of the relationship between church- and family-based social support and depressive symptoms and psychological distress among a national sample of older African Americans. Overall, the findings indicate that social support from church networks was protective against depressive symptoms and psychological distress. This finding remained significant when controlling for indicators of family social support.
Although previous research suggests that increased religiosity is associated with better mental health and many authors have conjectured that religion-based social support may help explain this connection, scant research has directly examined whether religion-based support mediates religiosity and mental health. The present study examined whether various dimensions of religion-based support (social interaction, instrumental and emotional) mediated the relationship between religiosity and mental health in college students in the Midwest United States. As expected, of the support dimensions, perceived emotional support was the strongest predictor of decreased hopelessness, depression, and suicide behaviors; and the relationships among intrinsic religiosity and the mental health variables were fully mediated by emotional support. These findings provide strong support to the notion that the relationship between religiosity and mental health can be reduced to mediators such as social support. Research and theoretical implications are discussed.
Approximately 80% of the members of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training responded to a survey on the role of religion in psychiatric education. Survey results suggest that religious ideation by resident candidates is a relatively unimportant variable in the programs' selection; didactic instruction on any aspect of religion is infrequent; clinical supervision on religious dynamics is variable but more likely to occur than didactic instruction; and academic progression is rarely impeded by behaviors emanating from residents' religious values. Several implications of these findings are discussed.
Value neutrality in psychotherapy is widely acknowledged to be a myth, and a majority of US physicians report that their religious faith influences their practice. Most attention to therapists' religious and spiritual commitments has focused on ethical boundaries, transference/countertransference dynamics and questions about how to relate religious and psychological truth. No consensus exists about the legitimate place in psychotherapy of clinicians' differing value commitments. Therapists' virtues are vitally important in psychotherapy, not least in the relational and aspirational process by which the patient identifies with the therapist as they engage together in confronting obstacles which the patient has been unable to surmount alone. Among the individual and cultural factors that shape a therapist's virtues are spiritual traditions, which encourage preferred or characteristic virtues. Arguably, these include for Jews, communal responsibility and critical thought; for Christians, love and grace; for Muslims, reverence and obedience; for Buddhists, equanimity and compassion; for Hindus, appreciation of Dharma and Karma; and for secularists, respect for scientific evidence and intelligibility. These have differing implications for treatment, as illustrated through the use of a hypothetical case. Attention to differing spiritual and religious virtues in a pluralistic culture offers opportunities for creative dialogue, collaborative teaching and interdisciplinary research.
Importance
We previously reported a 90% decreased risk in major depression, assessed prospectively, in adult offspring of depressed probands who reported that religion or spirituality was highly important to them. Frequency of church attendance was not significantly related to depression risk. Our previous brain imaging findings in adult offspring in these high-risk families also revealed large expanses of cortical thinning across the lateral surface of the right cerebral hemisphere.Objective
To determine whether high-risk adults who reported high importance of religion or spirituality had thicker cortices than those who reported moderate or low importance of religion or spirituality and whether this effect varied by family risk status.Design, Setting, and Participants
Longitudinal, retrospective cohort, familial study of 103 adults (aged 18-54 years) who were the second- or third-generation offspring of depressed (high familial risk) or nondepressed (low familiar risk) probands (first generation). Religious or spiritual importance and church attendance were assessed at 2 time points during 5 years, and cortical thickness was measured on anatomical images of the brain acquired with magnetic resonance imaging at the second time point.Main Outcomes and Measures
Cortical thickness in the parietal regions by risk status.Results
Importance of religion or spirituality, but not frequency of attendance, was associated with thicker cortices in the left and right parietal and occipital regions, the mesial frontal lobe of the right hemisphere, and the cuneus and precuneus in the left hemisphere, independent of familial risk. In addition, the effects of importance on cortical thickness were significantly stronger in the high-risk than in the low-risk group, particularly along the mesial wall of the left hemisphere, in the same region where we previously reported a significant thinner cortex associated with a familial risk of developing depressive illness. We note that these findings are correlational and therefore do not prove a causal association between importance and cortical thickness.Conclusions and Relevance
A thicker cortex associated with a high importance of religion or spirituality may confer resilience to the development of depressive illness in individuals at high familial risk for major depression, possibly by expanding a cortical reserve that counters to some extent the vulnerability that cortical thinning poses for developing familial depressive illness.
To facilitate the addressing of spirituality in clinical practice, several authors have created instruments for obtaining a spiritual history. However, in only a few studies have authors compared these instruments. The aim of this study was to compare the most commonly used instruments for taking a spiritual history in a clinical setting.
A systematic review of spiritual history assessment was conducted in five stages: identification of instruments used in the literature (databases searching); relevant articles from title and initial abstract review; exclusion and Inclusion criteria; full text retrieval and final analysis of each instrument.
A total of 2,641 articles were retrieved and after the analysis, 25 instruments were included. The authors independently evaluated each instrument on 16 different aspects. The instruments with the greatest scores in the final analysis were FICA, SPIRITual History, FAITH, HOPE, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Concerning all 25 instruments, 20 of 25 inquire about the influence of spirituality on a person's life and 17 address religious coping. Nevertheless, only four inquire about medical practices not allowed, six deal with terminal events, nine have mnemonics to facilitate their use, and five were validated.
FICA, SPIRITual History, FAITH, HOPE, and Royal College of Psychiatrists scored higher in our analysis. The use of each instrument must be individualized, according to the professional reality, time available, patient profile, and settings.
This article reviews recent advances in the domain of psychiatry and religion that highlight the double-edged capacity of religion to enhance or damage health and well-being, particularly among psychiatric patients. A large body of research challenges stereotyped views of religion as merely a defense or passive way of coping, and indicates that many people look to religion as a vital resource which serves a variety of adaptive functions, such as self-regulation, attachment, emotional comfort, meaning, and spirituality. There is, however, a darker side to religious life. Researchers and theorists have identified and begun to study problematic aspects of religiousness, including religiously-based violence and religious struggles within oneself, with others, and with the divine. Religious problems can be understood as a by-product of psychiatric illness (secondary), a source of psychiatric illness (primary), or both (complex). This growing body of knowledge underscores the need to attend more fully to the potentially constructive and destructive roles of religion in psychiatric diagnosis, assessment, and treatment. In fact, initial evaluative studies of the impact of spiritually integrated treatments among a range of psychiatric populations have shown promising results. The article concludes with a set of recommendations to advance future research and practice, including the need for additional psychiatric studies of people from diverse cultures and religious traditions.
Spirituality or belief in a higher being is an integral part of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). This study examines the role of religiosity in AA involvement and long-term sobriety in a representative sample of 587 men and women interviewed upon entering treatment and re-interviewed 1 and 3 years later. Religiosity is defined as spiritual, religious, secular (atheist or agnostic) and unsure, using the Religious Beliefs and Practices Scale employed in Project MATCH. Similar proportions within each religiosity group reported prior 12-month AA exposure at baseline; and over 40% of the unsure, spiritual and religious respondents and 25% of the secular respondents reported having gone to at least one AA meeting in the 12 months before the year 3 interview. Those who reported a spiritual awakening at year 3 were at the highest odds of continuous so briety for the last year; notably, religious self-definition was not associated with a significantly higher odds of sobriety at year 3 after controlling for other considered influences. An increase in AA activities, other than AA meetings, between baseline and the year 1 follow-up was also associated with a higher odds of sobriety, highlighting the importance of increased AA involvement in the period immediately following treatment episodes.
The last 10 years have witnessed an upsurge of interest in religion and spirituality as a dimension of life that is significant and powerful in its own right. In this chapter, the authors focus on spiritual struggles as a phenomenon of interest for psychology as well as religion, one that can shed further light on not only the spiritual side of life but also the life of the person as a whole. Throughout the chapter, the insights and wisdom gleaned from Jewish and Christian traditions are integrated with emerging psychological research and theory. The chapter begins by examining the meaning of spiritual struggles and presents data indicating that spiritual struggles are not unusual. Next, the authors turn their attention to some of the factors that may lead to spiritual struggles. An emerging body of research that points to the significant implications of spiritual struggles for psychological, social, and physical functioning is then reviewed. The chapter concludes by reviewing examples of psychological and spiritual programs that have been designed to help people address and resolve their struggles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Although studies examining religion, spirituality, and mental health generally indicate positive associations, there is a need for more sophisticated methodology, greater discrimination between different cultures and traditions, more focus on situated experiences of individuals belonging to particular traditions, and, in particular, greater integration of theological contributions to this area. We suggest priorities for future research based on these considerations.
Objective: To carry out a pilot study surveying the spiritual attitudes and needs of patients with a psychiatric illness at the Centre of Excellence in Remote and Rural Psychological Medicine, Broken Hill Base Hospital, NSW.
Method: A questionnaire consisting of 6 questions was completed by 79 patients.
Results: It was found that 79% of the patients rated spirituality as very important and 82% thought their therapists should be aware of their spiritual beliefs and needs. Sixty-nine per cent of the patients reported that patients's; spiritual needs should be considered by the therapist in treating their psychological illness and 67% said that their spirituality helped them cope with their psychological pain.
Conclusion: The majority of patients said spirituality was important to them and that they wanted their therapist to take their spiritual needs into consideration in the assessment and management of their illness.
In this study we sought to address several limitations of previous research on attachment theory and religion by (1) developing a dimensional attachment to God scale, and (2) demonstrating that dimensions of attachment to God are predictive of measures of affect and personality after controlling for social desirability and other related dimensions of religiosity. Questionnaire measures of these constructs were completed by a sample of university students and community adults (total n= 374). Consistent with prior research on adult romantic attachment, two dimensions of attachment to God were identified: avoidance and anxiety. After statistically controlling for social desirability, intrinsic religiousness, doctrinal orthodoxy, and loving God image, anxious attachment to God remained a significant predictor of neuroticism, negative affect, and (inversely) positive affect; avoidant attachment to God remained a significant inverse predictor of religious symbolic immortality and agreeableness. These findings are evidence that correlations between attachment to God and measures of personality and affect are not merely byproducts of confounding effects of socially desirable responding or other dimensions of religiosity.
Prior research indicates that religiosity is associated with lower levels of substance use in adolescence. The extant research, however, is limited by issues related to data quality and analytic strategy. The current research uses the National Survey on Drug Use and Health to further our understanding of the nature of the relationship between religiosity and substance use during adolescence. Results show that religiosity reduces the odds of tobacco use, heavy drinking, prescription drug misuse, marijuana use, and other illicit drug use. These associations are partially explained by respondent and peer attitudes toward substance use and, to a lesser extent, respondent psychological well-being. The influence of respondent substance use attitude is especially pronounced, explaining between 41% (marijuana) and 53% (tobacco) of the association between religiosity and substance use. In fully adjusted models, all mediators account for between 46% (marijuana) and 59% (tobacco) of the association between religiosity and substance use.
To examine patient preferences for incorporating religion and/or spirituality into therapy for anxiety or depression and examine the relations between patient preferences and religious and spiritual coping styles, beliefs and behaviors.
Participants (66 adults, 55 years or older, from earlier studies of cognitive-behavioral therapy for late-life anxiety and/or depression in primary care) completed these measures by telephone or in-person: Geriatric Anxiety Inventory, Client Attitudes Toward Spirituality in Therapy, Patient Interview, Brief Religious Coping, Religious Problem Solving Scale, Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith, and Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness and Spirituality. Spearman's rank-order correlations and ordinal logistic regression examined religious/spiritual variables as predictors of preferences for inclusion of religion or spirituality into counseling.
Most participants (77-83%) preferred including religion and/or spirituality in therapy for anxiety and depression. Participants who thought it was important to include religion or spirituality in therapy reported more positive religious-based coping, greater strength of religious faith, and greater collaborative and less self-directed problem-solving styles than participants who did not think it was important.
For individuals like most participants in this study (Christians), incorporating spirituality/religion into counseling for anxiety and depression was desirable.
No systematic information exists on what U.S. medical schools are teaching on spirituality and health or on the attitudes of faculty toward inclusion of this subject in the medical curriculum. We systematically surveyed U.S. medical school deans and assessed both attitudes about and the extent to which spirituality is addressed in medical school curricula.
The responses to a questionnaire were solicited from deans representing 122 U.S. medical schools accredited by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education. Completed surveys were received from 85% (n = 104), with 94% (n = 115) responding to the primary question. Outcomes were proportion of medical schools with curricular content on spirituality and attitudes of deans toward such material.
Ninety percent (range 84%-90%) of medical schools have courses or content on spirituality and health (S&H), 73% with content in required courses addressing other topics and 7% with a required course dedicated to S&H. Although over 90% indicate that patients emphasize spirituality in their coping and health care, only 39% say that including S&H is important. When asked if their institution needs more S&H curricular content, 43% indicated they did; however, even if funding and training support were available, only 25% would open additional curricular time. National policy statements, established competencies, or methods to evaluate student competencies in S&H were generally considered unimportant.
Most U.S. medical schools have curricular content on S&H, although this varies greatly in scope. Despite acknowledging its importance to patients, the majority of deans are uncertain about including spirituality and do not think more content is needed.
Many clients highly value religious and spiritual (R/S) commitments, and many psychotherapists have accommodated secular treatments to R/S perspectives. We meta-analyzed 51 samples from 46 studies (N = 3,290) that examined the outcomes of religious accommodative therapies and nonreligious spirituality therapies. Comparisons on psychological and spiritual outcomes were made to a control condition, an alternate treatment, or a subset of those studies that used a dismantling design (similar in theory and duration of treatment, but including religious contents). Patients in R/S psychotherapies showed greater improvement than those in alternate secular psychotherapies both on psychological (d =.26) and on spiritual (d = .41) outcomes. Religiously accommodated treatments outperformed dismantling-design alternative treatments on spiritual (d = .33) but not on psychological outcomes. Clinical examples are provided and therapeutic practices are recommended.
We have studied a number of long-term meditators in previous studies. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in baseline brain function of experienced meditators compared to non-meditators. All subjects were recruited as part of an ongoing study of different meditation practices. We evaluated 12 advanced meditators and 14 non-meditators with cerebral blood flow (CBF) SPECT imaging at rest. Images were analyzed with both region of interest and statistical parametric mapping. The CBF of long-term meditators was significantly higher (p<.05) compared to non-meditators in the prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, thalamus, putamen, caudate, and midbrain. There was also a significant difference in the thalamic laterality with long-term meditators having greater asymmetry. The observed changes associated with long-term meditation appear in structures that underlie the attention network and also those that relate to emotion and autonomic function.