Measuring Spiritual Needs in a Secular Society: Validation and Clinimetric Properties of the Danish 20-Item Spiritual Needs Questionnaire

Stripp, Tobias Kvist; Büssing, Arndt; Wehberg, Sonja; Andersen, Helene Støttrup; Kørup, Alex Kappel; Pedersen, Heidi Frølund; Søndergaard, Jens; Hvidt, Niels Christian

doi:10.1007/s10943-022-01533-5

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 44 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Further, needs related to such constructs may also arise in the non-religious patient when confronted with severe illnesses or other life crises. Knowledge about this could enhance the ability of the healthcare system to provide spiritual care for such needs (44,45).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of religious service attendance on mortality and hospitalisations among Danish men and women: longitudinal findings from REGLINK-SHAREDK

et al. 2023

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Research suggests a protective effect of religious service attendance on various health outcomes. However, most research has been done in religious societies, raising the question of whether these associations are also prominent in secular cultures. Here we examine mortality and hospitalisations by religious service attendance among men and women in a secular society.Methods: We performed a cohort study including 2987 Danes aged 40+ interviewed in SHARE from 2004-2007, whom we followed up in the Danish registries until 2018. We used Cox regressions and negative binomial regressions to examine associations, including interactions with sex and adjusting for age, wave, socioeconomic factors, lifestyle factors, body mass index, and history of diseases.Results: Overall, 5.0% of men and 6.6% of women reported that they took part in a religious organisation within the last month. Among 848 deaths, we found lower overall mortality for people who attended religious services (hazard ratio (HR) 0.70; 95% CI 0.50-0.99). There was evidence for association among women (HR 0.56; 95% CI 0.35-0.89), but not among men (HR 0.95; 95% CI 0.59-1.53). In contrast, regarding hospital admissions (n = 12,010), we found lower hospitalisation rates among men who attended religious services (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.67; 95% CI 0.45-0.98), whereas no association was found among women (IRR 0.95; 95% CI 0.70-1.29). Sensitivity analyses with e-values were moderately robust.Conclusions: Our results contribute to the limited literature on possible health bene ts of religious service attendance in secular societies, demonstrating lower mortality among women and fewer hospitalisations among men.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of religious service attendance on mortality and hospitalisations among Danish men and women: longitudinal findings from REGLINK-SHAREDK

et al. 2023

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“… 14 The FICA spiritual history tool, 48 and the shortened Spiritual Needs Screener are other examples. 49 These needs may then be further elaborated by other caregivers or quantified through standardised instruments (such as the more comprehensive SpNQ 30 or other measures 27 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These were measured using the Danish 20-item Spiritual Needs Questionnaire (DA-SpNQ-20) and categorised as religious (6 items), existential (6 items), generativity (4 items), and inner peace (4 items) needs. 30 The instrument was tested in a convenience sample of relatively healthy, young, primarily female adults, and demonstrated satisfactory content and structural validity. Internal reliability was considered adequate across dimensions (Cronbach's α = 0.73–0.93), as was the test-retest reliability (ICC2.1 = 0.86).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…; (3) ‘generativity needs,’ which relate to the need to give something to others and help other people; and lastly, (4) ‘inner peace needs,’ which cover needs related to a sense of inner peace or rest in nature. 30 Importantly, the SpNQ is not limited to a particular subgroup of believers that adhere to a specific religious or spiritual community and has been used in various countries with diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. 31 For some items, examples of specific observances are given to increase content validity and comprehensibility, 32 but respondents are free to respond based on important aspects of their own experiences and life.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Spiritual needs in Denmark: a population-based cross-sectional survey linked to Danish national registers

Stripp¹,

Wehberg²,

Büssing³

et al. 2023

The Lancet Regional Health - Europe

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…The most commonly used definition of religion -one that enjoys considerable agreement -is that religion constitutes the individual's experience of a transcendent or ultimate source of meaning in life in conjunction with a specific theology. 5 Religion adheres to an institution and is practised privately or in a community with fellow believers through rituals and symbols. However, it is more challenging to get a consensus on a definition of spirituality.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Religion and spirituality in contemporary health systems

Stripp

2023

Theology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Historically, religious institutions and healthcare systems have been inseparable, but they are often segregated in contemporary (post-)secular societies. A growing body of high-quality evidence from quantitative epidemiological studies during the last decade shows robust health benefits from religious and spiritual practices or conditions such as regularly attending religious services or having a sense of meaning and purpose. The potential public health implications of this evidence are a delicate matter. One might argue that, given the current evidence, it is unethical not to support citizens’ search for meaning and purpose on a structural level – irrespective of whether that search is related to the transcendent or not. While it is not feasible to ‘prescribe religion’ to improve health, current religious and spiritual institutions might be essential in providing a contemporary and relevant space for existential, spiritual and religious contemplation in secular cultures. But how can that be attained? Starting from international research on religion, spirituality and health, this article discusses potential implications for public health in relation to religious institutions in a secular culture. If faith is protective and healthy for us, is there a way in modern-day society to take advantage of the effect of religious and spiritual communities and practice to increase public health, despite the structural and ethical challenges provided in a (post-)secular country such as Denmark?

show abstract

Measuring Spiritual Needs in a Secular Society: Validation and Clinimetric Properties of the Danish 20-Item Spiritual Needs Questionnaire

Cited by 9 publications

References 44 publications

Effect of religious service attendance on mortality and hospitalisations among Danish men and women: longitudinal findings from REGLINK-SHAREDK

Effect of religious service attendance on mortality and hospitalisations among Danish men and women: longitudinal findings from REGLINK-SHAREDK

Spiritual needs in Denmark: a population-based cross-sectional survey linked to Danish national registers

Religion and spirituality in contemporary health systems

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About