Measuring spirituality and religiosity in clinical research: a systematic review of instruments available in the Portuguese language

Abstract

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVES: Despite numerous spirituality and/or religiosity (S/R) measurement tools for use in research worldwide, there is little information on S/R instruments in the Portuguese language. The aim of the present study was to map out the S/R scales available for research in the Portuguese language. DESIGN AND SETTING: Systematic review of studies found in databases. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted in three phases. Phases 1 and 2: articles in Portuguese, Spanish and English, published up to November 2011, dealing with the Portuguese translation and/or validation of S/R measurement tools for clinical research, were selected from six databases. Phase 3: the instruments were grouped according to authorship, cross-cultural adaptation, internal consistency, concurrent and discriminative validity and test-retest procedures. RESULTS: Twenty instruments were found. Forty-five percent of these evaluated religiosity, 40% spirituality, 10% religious/spiritual coping and 5% S/R. Among these, 90% had been produced in (n = 3) or translated to (n = 15) Brazilian Portuguese and two (10%) solely to European Portuguese. Nevertheless, the majority of the instruments had not undergone in-depth psychometric analysis. Only 40% of the instruments presented concurrent validity, 45% discriminative validity and 15% a test-retest procedure. The characteristics of each instrument were analyzed separately, yielding advantages, disadvantages and psychometric properties. CONCLUSION: Currently, 20 instruments for measuring S/R are available in the Portuguese language. Most have been translated (n = 15) or developed (n = 3) in Brazil and present good internal consistency. Nevertheless, few instruments have been assessed regarding all their psychometric qualities.RESUMO CONTEXTO E OBJETIVOS: Apesar do grande número de escalas sobre espiritualidade e religiosidade (E/R) para uso em pesquisas internacionais, ainda existem poucas informações sobre essas escalas na língua portuguesa. Objetiva-se mapear as escalas disponíveis para pesquisa clínica em língua portuguesa. TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL: Revisão sistemática de estudos encontrados em bases de dados. MÉTODOS: Conduziu-se uma revisão sistemática em três fases. Fases 1 e 2: artigos em português, espanhol e inglês, publicados até novembro de 2011, com a tradução ou validação para o português de instrumentos para aferir E/R na pesquisa clínica, foram selecionados de seis bancos de dados. Fase 3: os instrumentos foram agrupados de acordo com autoria, adaptação transcultural, consistência interna, validade concorrente/discriminativa e procedimentos de teste-reteste. RESULTADOS: Vinte instrumentos foram encontrados. Destes, 45% avaliavam religiosidade, 40% espiritualidade, 10% coping (enfrentamento) religioso/espiritual e 5% espiritualidade e religiosidade. Destes, 90% foram traduzidos (n = 15) ou criados (n = 3) para a língua portuguesa no Brasil e 2 (10%) somente para o português de Portugal. Entretanto, a maioria dos instrumentos não possuía análises psicométricas. Apena...

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