Clinical implications of spirituality to mental health: review of evidence and practical guidelines

Abstract

Objective: Despite empirical evidence of a relationship between religiosity/spirituality (R/S) and mental health and recommendations by professional associations that these research findings be integrated into clinical practice, application of this knowledge in the clinic remains a challenge. This paper reviews the current state of the evidence and provides evidence-based guidelines for spiritual assessment and for integration of R/S into mental health treatment. Methods: PubMed searches of relevant terms yielded 1,109 papers. We selected empirical studies and reviews that addressed assessment of R/S in clinical practice. Results: The most widely acknowledged and agreed-upon application of R/S to clinical practice is the need to take a spiritual history (SH), which may improve patient compliance, satisfaction with care, and health outcomes. We found 25 instruments for SH collection, several of which were validated and of good clinical utility. Conclusions: This paper provides practical guidelines for spiritual assessment and integration thereof into mental health treatment, as well as suggestions for future research on the topic.

Depression, stress and anxiety in medical students: A cross-sectional comparison between students from different semesters

“…Although many studies point to an association of religious/ spiritual beliefs with mental health, physical health, and quality of life 32,33 and other investigations have assessed religiosity and medical students' views on this issue, 34 few studies have specifically investigated the association between mental health and beliefs in medical education. Wachholtz et al 35 assessed 259 American medical students and found that individuals with lower levels of spiritual well-being and daily spiritual experiences had greater psychological stress and burnout.…”

Spiritual well-being and hope in the preoperative period of cardiac surgery

“…The unknown, along with the possibility of failure, causes anguish in individuals, translated, in most cases, into anxiety and depression (2) . The theme of spirituality and religiosity has awakened interest in the academic milieu (3) . Spiritual needs can be understood as the satisfaction of a spiritual growth, which makes people more sociable, hopeful and at peace with their divinity or transcendence (4) .…”

‘They daren’t tell people’: therapists’ experiences of working with clients who report anomalous experiences

“…In addition, given that participants felt that clients are often seeking permission that it is okay to discuss AEs, therapists could directly ask about these experiences at the assessment stage, not unlike guidelines for working with religious/spiritual issues which suggest taking a spiritual history (see Moreira-Almeida, Koenig, & Lucchetti, 2014). However, further research is necessary to elicit client's reactions to being directly asked about AEs as well as the impact of such experiences on the therapeutic process.…”