Fear and aggression in the rat

The effect of fear on two types of aggression in rats was investigated by adding a cat stimulus to a colony in which the dominant male was attacking an intruder (offensive aggression), or, to a tube test situation in which defensive biting was measured before and during tail shock. The cat completely abolished offense in the colony; when the cat was presented and removed before a strange rat was placed in the colony, attack on the intruder was also reduced. In contrast, defensive biting was unchanged or even slightly potentiated by the presence of the cat, demonstrating a separation of the effects of fear on offensive and defensive aggression.     

A national survey of health care administrators' views on the importance of various chaplain roles

A random sample of hospital administrators throughout the United States was surveyed about their views on the importance of eleven chaplain roles and functions. The 494 respondents fell into three categories: (1) directors of pastoral care departments (N = 132); (2) administrators of hospitals that have a pastoral care department (N = 180); and (3) administrators of hospitals that do not have a pastoral care department (N = 182). All three groups considered all eleven roles to be relatively important, although administrators of hospitals that do not have a pastoral care department gave lower ratings, overall. Meeting the emotional needs of patients and relatives were seen as chaplains most important roles, whereas performing religious rituals and conducting religious services were seen as least important by all three groups. In all but a few instances, the level of importance that administrators assigned to the various roles were positively related to their ratings of their own religiousness and spirituality (r's = .11 to .26, p < .05).     

A review of research on chaplains and community-based clergy in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Lancet, and the New England Journal of Medicine: 1998-2000

Based on the content analysis of quantitative research appearing in three medical journals, the authors conclude that, despite the shared ideal of providing spiritual care to patients on the part of physicians and chaplains, there is little attention given in these journals demonstrating and promoting this shared perspective. Suggestions for future research that would focus on this common medicine/religion interface and concern are noted.     

Beliefs About God and Mental Health Among American Adults

This study examines the association between beliefs about God and psychiatric symptoms in the context of Evolutionary Threat Assessment System Theory, using data from the 2010 Baylor Religion Survey of US Adults (N = 1,426). Three beliefs about God were tested separately in ordinary least squares regression models to predict five classes of psychiatric symptoms: general anxiety, social anxiety, paranoia, obsession, and compulsion. Belief in a punitive God was positively associated with four psychiatric symptoms, while belief in a benevolent God was negatively associated with four psychiatric symptoms, controlling for demographic characteristics, religiousness, and strength of belief in God. Belief in a deistic God and one’s overall belief in God were not significantly related to any psychiatric symptoms.     

A systematic review of research on religion and spirituality in the Journal of Traumatic Stress: 1990–1999

Surveys reveal that religion and spirituality are highly valuable to many people in times of crisis, trauma, and grief. The relationship between coping with trauma and the use of various spiritual beliefs is well established. The importance of clergy in trauma recovery is also well documented. A review of the 469 research and non-research articles published between 1990 and 1999 in the Journal of Traumatic Stress revealed that 8.7% (6/69) of non-research articles, 4.1% (15/366) of quantitative research articles and 2.9% (1/34) of qualitative research articles considered religion or spirituality in their work. Analysis of variance found a significant overall increase in the percentage of articles that mentioned religion/spirituality between the first half (1990–1994) and the second half (1995–1999) of the study period. The results are discussed in the context of the trauma research and in comparison to related disciplines. Recommendations for future research and clinical application are suggested for both traumatologists and religious scholars.     

A Review of Mortality Research on Clergy and Other Religious Professionals

An exhaustive literature search was undertaken to find studies on mortality rates among clergy. A total of twelve studies, published between 1959 and 2000, were identified that examined mortality among American and European clergy. All but one of the reports found lower all-cause death rates for clergy compared to the people in general population of similar age. Protestant ministers consistently were found to have more than a 25% mortality advantage in various studies. Catholic nuns had a mortality advantage of roughly 20%–25%, whereas the mortality advantage of Catholic priests was just over 10%. Possible factors contributing to the lower death rates of clergy are discussed.     

A Comparative Analysis of the Psychological Literature on Collaboration Between Clergy and Mental-Health Professionals—Perspectives from Secular and Religious Journals: 1970–1999

A search of the psychological literature was conducted to obtain a better understanding of the issues surrounding collaboration between clergy and psychologists. An electronic search of PsycINFO for 1970–1999 ultimately yielded 52 articles in secular journals and 37 articles in religiously oriented journals that discussed collaboration. Whereas interest in collaboration peaked in religious journals during the 1980's, the number of articles on collaboration appearing in secular journals increased significantly from 1970 to 1999. Content analysis confirmed six major themes about collaboration found by A. J. Weaver, K. J. Flannelly, L. T. Flannelly, and J. E. Oppenheimer (2003). One of the most common themes was the clergy's role as frontline mental-health workers, which was mentioned significantly more often in secular than religious journals. The need for greater education and knowledge was also mentioned significantly more often in secular than religious journals. Insufficient knowledge or education was frequently seen as an obstacle to collaboration. Other factors affecting collaboration are discussed.     

Spiritual needs: Gender differences among professional spiritual care providers

The current study explored gender differences regarding spirituality by comparing the relative frequency with which male (n = 85) and female (n = 103) professional chaplains experience various facets of the spiritual experience. The women in the sample reported experiencing five of the seven spiritual constructs examined significantly more often than men, including the need for (1) belonging, (2) meaning, (3) hope, (4) beauty, and (5) acceptance of death. No significant gender differences were found for spiritual needs related to morality concerns or religious practices.