Given both the universality of spiritual pain and the multifaceted nature of pain, we propose that when patients report the experience of pain, more consideration be given to the complexity of the phenomena and that spiritual pain be considered a contributing factor. The authors maintain that spiritual pain left unaddressed both impedes recovery and contributes to the overall suffering of the patient.

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 ¼ 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.

Seven major constructs-belonging, meaning, hope, the sacred, morality, beauty, and acceptance of dying-were revealed in an analysis of the literature pertaining to patient spiritual needs. The authors embedded these constructs within a 29-item survey designed to be inclusive of traditional religion, as well as non-institutional-based spirituality. This article describes the development of a multidimensional instrument designed to assess a patient's spiritual needs. This framework for understanding a patient's spiritual needs hopefully contributes to the growing body of literature, providing direction to healthcare professionals interested in a more holistic approach to patient well-being.