Teenage boys,spirituality and religion

This paper reports on a pilot study concerning adolescent boys and spirituality, and specifically on data gathered from interviews with 20 boys of 15-17 years. The data from these interviews will inform the development of a questionnaire to be used more widely in the next stage of the research. The paper also explains and justifies the analytical schema through which the interviews were conducted and analysed and a subsequent instrument for broader use developed. It describes the rationale and background of the study, presents the schema that was developed to analyse the interviews and explores some of the ideas that emerged from the interviews that, along with the analytical schema, have helped to structure the questionnaire.     

Psychiatrists and community partners examine religion and spirituality

ABSTRACT

The commentary reflects on the definition of spirituality and religion and further implications for the practice of psychiatry. These include the possibilities to partner with spiritual and religious practitioners to support education and research, provide access to care for people with or at risk of mental ill health, and also consider how to the reduce the risks to the well-being of vulnerable people and families from some practices and settings. The World Psychiatric Association sees the possibilities for collaborating with its member societies and community partners including service users and family carers to develop resources on working with faith groups and spiritual healers in high- and low-income countries.     

Some reflections on spirituality,religion and mental health

For both religion and psychiatry context is becoming more important. Object relations theory, and especially the concept of a transitional object, may be a means of linking religious thinking and psychoanalysis together. The distinction between religion and spirituality is important, though not absolute. Two factors emerge from this engagement: 1) critical questioning at the boundary of each discipline; and 2) both spirituality and mental health are related to life in a specific society. The link between religion and irrational behaviour is important, religion being a primary means of acknowledging the irrational facets of everyday life. But delusion must not be confused with illusion: between these two imagination, art and religion flourish. Each of these is dangerous, since they connect the ‘normal’ with the ‘riskily marginal’. In a multicultural society behaviour which may be acceptable in one context may in another be regarded as a sign of illness. This is particularly true of religious behaviour. Three key issues are examined: 1) the social function of spirituality and religion; 2) the idea of personal wholeness; and 3) the link between external and internal validation of the individual's spirituality. The boundary between psychotic and religious behaviour is a difficult one to discern. Yet neither medical nor spiritual explanations alone seem sufficient. There is a complementary mapping of the complications of human experience.     

Reflections on the WPA position statement on spirituality and religion

ABSTRACT

The WPA position statement on Spirituality and Religion in Psychiatry is a tremendous achievement. This is a field of research which has developed greatly in the last 25 years with increasing sophistication of methodology within the biomedical paradigm. However, I will argue that the reductionism necessary for quantitative scientific research flattens out the very particularity which makes the religions potent and active. There is a need to increase the use of qualitative research methods to give a fuller account of the health impact of the deep and rich lived experience within a faith community.     

Referrals to chaplains: The role of religion and spirituality in healthcare settings

Given the increasing importance of understanding how healthcare workers interact with the principal person designated to meet patients’ spiritual needs— the chaplain— the current study provides an inter-disciplinary perspective of the role of chaplains (and spirituality) in patients’ emotional, physical, and spiritual health. The study surveyed a randomly selected national sample of hospital directors in four disciplines: medicine (n?=?278), nursing (n?=?230), social services (n?=?229), and pastoral care (n?=?470). Participants rated the importance of referring patients to chaplains for four different areas: pain/depression, anxiety/anger, treatment issues, and loss/death/meaning. Results revealed significant differences in referral patterns for type of hospital, professional discipline, the hospital's religious affiliation, and self-reported spirituality. Results are discussed in relation to historical views of spirituality and religion within the different disciplines.     

The journey of gestational surrogacy: religion,spirituality and assisted reproductive technologies

This article discusses the intersection of women’s experiences with the assisted reproductive technological practice of gestational surrogacy and spirituality and religion. During the interviews of eight gestational surrogates themes of spirituality-, religion- and faith-based language emerged as these women shared their narratives of assisted reproductive technologies in this Canadian study. Professionals supporting women before, during and after the experience of gestational surrogacy need to be mindful of the significance of spirituality and religion in third party reproduction practices for many women. In discussing these topics with gestational surrogates counsellors, child and youth care practitioners, faith leaders, social workers, and educators need to remain open and attentive to a multiplicity of diverse theological negotiations.     

A systematic review of religion/spirituality and sport: A psychological perspective

ObjectiveThe study aimed to review the existing literature on religion/spirituality (R/S) in sport from the psychological perspective.DesignA systematic review using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was employed.MethodThe literature search was completed in December 2018 using five different databases and Google Scholar. The titles and abstracts of the articles were reviewed for the selection process. The selected articles were classified into nine categories: the role of religion/spirituality, consultants, confidence, religious/spiritual faith, flow or being in the zone, identity, anxiety and depression, coping with adversity, and well-being and healing.ResultsA total of 56 studies met the criteria. The selected articles comprised various types of study design that were quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, as well as conceptual, review, theoretical, commentary, and perspective articles. The findings show that R/S can play a significant role among athletes in several ways (e.g., coping with uncertainties, building team cohesion, and alleviating anxiety). This study has also uncovered a few issues that should be emphasized for future research such as developing quantitative tools for R/S and sport-performance measurement and designing a religious/spiritual coping strategy that can be used among athletes from various cultures/religions.ConclusionAlthough R/S is often overlooked in sport psychology, the existing literature shows that it can have positive effects on mental health and contribute to achieving better sporting performance.     

Studying the specificity of spirituality: lessons from the psychology of religion

Psychological research on spirituality need not start from scratch: the psychology of religion provides substantial knowledge and experience that can be drawn on when psychologists want to do research on spirituality. Spirituality, while certainly not identical with religion or religiosity, is a human phenomenon to which many methodological insights from the study of religion may be applied, although it is also a domain where many mistakes from the history of the psychology of religion are likely to be repeated. After presenting some thoughts on the conceptualization of spirituality, and reflecting on the type of psychology required to do research on spirituality, the paper points out some hidden agenda's in the psychologies of religion and spirituality. Focusing on and keeping in mind the specificity of spiritual conduct, the paper discusses a number of practical aspects of empirical research on spirituality.     

Integrating complementary and alternative therapies into psychological practice: A qualitative analysis

Although complementary and alternative therapies (CATs) are utilised widely for treating psychological disorders, little research has examined psychologists' beliefs about integrating CAT into psychological practice. Six practicing psychologists and six psychology students were interviewed about their CAT integration beliefs, in particular integrating CAT into clinical practice via recommending CATs, offering referrals to CAT practitioners, or undertaking training to utilise CATs within psychological practice. Guided broadly from a theory of planned behaviour perspective, participants raised a number of costs and benefits, discussed referent groups who would influence their decisions, and suggested motivators and barriers for integration. A number of additional themes were raised, including risks, such as the possibility of litigation and the need for clear Society guidelines, as most participants were unclear about what constitutes appropriate practice. Identifying these themes serves as an important initial step to informing discussion and policy for this emerging practice issue within psychology.     

The WPA position paper on spirituality and religion in psychiatry: a North American perspective

ABSTRACT

The WPA position statement is a clear challenge for psychiatrists to recognize how religion/spirituality (R/S) is relevant to their work. North American psychiatry has shown progress related to each principle articulated in the statement, especially in the areas of research and scholarship. However, most advances are yet to be widely implemented or coordinated, so that the statement offers valuable encouragement and direction in moving forward.     

Integrating research into practice: The Forward-Focused Model of adolescent sexual behavior treatment

Knowledge of adolescents with sexual behavior problems has continued to grow over the past two decades, further differentiating the needs of this group from adult sex offenders. However, treatment programs based upon the current literature have yet to be fully articulated. In an attempt to address this gap between knowledge and practice, a comprehensive treatment program for adolescents with sexual behavior problems was developed: the Forward-Focused Model. The Forward-Focused Model is rooted in cognitive–behavioral theory, incorporates motivational approaches, and is developmentally-sensitive to address the unique needs of adolescents. This empirically-based model is introduced in this article.     

The link between religion and spirituality and psychological adjustment: the mediating role of optimism and social support

Although optimism, social support, religiousness, and spirituality are important predictors of adjustment, rarely have studies examined these variables simultaneously. This study investigated whether optimism and social support mediated the relationship between religiousness and adjustment (distress and life satisfaction) and between spirituality and adjustment. Findings indicate that the relationship between intrinsic religiousness and life satisfaction and between prayer fulfillment and life satisfaction was mediated by optimism and social support. Furthermore, the relationship between religiousness and adjustment varied depending on how religiousness was operationalized and whether positive versus negative adjustment indicators were used. That is, intrinsic religiousness and prayer fulfillment were associated with greater life satisfaction, but extrinsic religiousness was not associated with life satisfaction. These findings were significant even after accounting for covariates (age, gender, ethnicity, social desirability). Results suggest religiousness and spirituality are related but distinct constructs and are associated with adjustment through factors such as social support and optimism.