Advances in the conceptualization and measurement of religion and spirituality: Implications for physical and mental health research.

Abstract

Empirical studies have identified significant links between religion and spirituality and health. The reasons for these associations, however, are unclear. Typically, religion and spirituality have been measured by global indices (e.g., frequency of church attendance, self-rated religiousness and spirituality) that do not specify how or why religion and spirituality affect health. The authors highlight recent advances in the delineation of religion and spirituality concepts and measures theoretically and functionally connected to health. They also point to areas for growth in religion and spirituality conceptualization and measurement. Through measures of religion and spirituality more conceptually related to physical and mental health (e.g., closeness to God, religious orientation and motivation, religious support, religious struggle), psychologists are discovering more about the distinctive contributions of religiousness and spirituality to health and well-being.

Measuring Muslim Spirituality: Relationships of Muslim Experiential Religiousness with Religious and Psychological Adjustment in Iran

“…Research in the psychology of religion increasingly suggests that the positive mental health implications of religion in general, and thus presumably of Islam in particular, rest upon spiritual as well as belief dimensions of faith (Hill & Pargament, 2008;Wink & Dillon, 2008). A recent research program sought to explore this potentially important role of spirituality for Muslims by using a Qur'anic perspective to develop a Muslim Experiential Religiousness Scale.…”

Religiosity, Spirituality, and Mental Health in Portugal: A call for a conceptualisation, relationship, and guidelines for integration (a theoretical review)

“…However a complete discussion of this conceptual history, as important as it is, is beyond the purposes of this article (for extended discussions please see Fallot, 1998;Zinnbauer et al, 1999;Hill et al, 2000;Hill & Pargament, 2003;Smith, 2007;Koenig, 2009). Thus, this paper presents some of the most significant and recent inputs in this field, highlighting that special care must be taken to properly conceptualise these two multidimensional concepts.…”

“…Accordingly, spirituality is widely defined as a universal human trait (Lindridge, 2007;Winslow & Wehtje-Winslow, 2007;Fisher, 2011) leading an individual towards knowledge, meaning, purpose and hope (Büssing et al, 2005;Smith, 2007;Winslow & Wehtje-Winslow, 2007), in an ultimate goal to find, transform and relate to the transcendent or sacred (Pargament, 1999;Nelson, 2009). To highlight that this journey may or may not include participation in a religious faith/community (Hill & Pargament, 2003;Koenig et al, 2004). And as Koenig et al (2012, p.46) added, it "also extends beyond organized religion (and begins before it)".…”

“…Nonetheless, perhaps researchers might still be using personal definitions of spirituality, typically based on their own understanding of this dimension (Hadzic, 2011). Also, spirituality is progressively being used to refer to the individual's subjective aspect of religious experience (Hill & Pargament, 2003). Therefore, research and society in general, have been witnessing a growing movement of its usage, shying away from the institutionalization of their beliefs (religion) toward its individualization.…”

“…Obviously, this ambiguity and confusion has a great impact on the credibility and understanding of research and practice in this area (Koenig, 2009), leading for instance to: limited or otherwise too broad definitions of religion and spirituality, which results in a loss of their idiosyncratic characteristics (Zinnbauer, et al, 1999;Hill et al, 2000); different forms of polarisation of religion and spirituality, the former being institutional/negative/harmful and the latter individualistic/positive/beneficial (Pargament, 1999;Zinnbauer et al, 1999;Hill & Pargament, 2003;Pargament, 2007;Smith, 2007;Mutter & Neves, 2008); and pathologization of religious and spiritual beliefs/practices in diverse or minority contexts (Frame & Williams, 1996;Fallot, 1998;Lukoff & Turner, 1998;Tummala-Narra, 2009;Adams, 2012).…”