Starting the conversation about spiritual needs and being with a person in spiritual distress can be difficult for staff and volunteers. Expressing spiritual distress is a challenge for patients and their loved ones, as knowing where to begin and how to put feelings into words can feel impossible.
The St Barnabas Hospice Spiritual Wellbeing Boxes have been developed to make vital interaction between patients, their loved ones, our staff and volunteers a little easier.
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This systematic literature review analyzed the construct of spirituality as perceived by people who have experienced or are experiencing a major life event or transition. You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you requesting.
Psychology of Religion and Spirituality8.3 (Aug 2016): 228-234.
This study examined whether religious coping (positive and negative) prospectively moderated the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms in young adults. Religious commitment was examined as a potential moderator of the effect of religious coping on the stress-depression relationship. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details
Spirituality in Clinical Practice3.3 (Sep 2016): 153-154.
This special section focuses on the unique ethical challenges in psychiatric practice, particularly when those challenges involve religious and spiritual beliefs, practices, or concerns. This article provides both an introduction and context for this special section as well as an overview of the articles that follow. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a world-wide recovery mutual-help organization that continues to arouse controversy. In large part, concerns persist because of AA's ostensibly quasi-religious/spiritual orientation and emphasis. In 1990 the United States’ Institute of Medicine called for more studies on AA's effectiveness and its mechanisms of behavior change (MOBC) stimulating a flurry of federally funded research. This paper reviews the religious/spiritual origins of AA and its program and contrasts its theory with findings from this latest research. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy Vol. 10, Iss. 3, (May 2018): 360-367.
Objective: Potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs)—violations (perpetrated or witnessed) of one’s deeply held beliefs or values—have been associated with several forms of psychological distress. The values violated by PMIEs are often influenced by one’s religion/spirituality (r/s). Struggles with one’s r/s beliefs and/or practices may also contribute to elevated psychological distress. To further develop a framework for understanding and treating the sequelae of PMIE exposure, we examined the role of r/s struggles in the relation between PMIE exposure and psychological distress. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (Jun 14, 2018): No Pagination Specified
Growing evidence for the salubrious association of spirituality with physical and mental health related outcomes has led to the consideration of spirituality as a protective factor against suicidal behavior. Although support for this basic association is robust, particularly in the context of religious belief and attendance, spirituality has yet to be explored as it relates to psychache—intense, unrelenting psychological pain. Additionally, self-forgiveness has emerged as an important protective factor against suicidal behavior, but has not been explored in the context of psychache.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
How might spiritual practice affect the brain? A new study suggests that heightened spiritual experiences may help to counteract the effect of stressors.
The promotion of subjective well-being or wellness is an important aim of both policy and practice. Yet, little research has examined wellness among Muslims, despite the growth in the Muslim population and the discrimination they can encounter in the West. To address this gap in the literature, a model of wellness was developed and tested using structural equation modelling (SEM) with a sample of Muslims living in the USA (N = 265).
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In the first of a new series on how religion and culture can impact on practice, journalist Lauren Hoffman looks at Judaism. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Findings In a multigenerational longitudinal observational study (112 parents and 214 offspring), parent belief in the high importance of religion was associated with an approximately 80% decrease in risk in suicidal ideation/attempts in their offspring compared with parents who reported religion as unimportant. The association of parental belief was independent of the offspring’s own belief in the importance of religion and other parental risk factors and was statistically significant.. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy (Dec 20, 2018). DOI:10.1037/tra0000426
Objective: Religious coping has been shown to relate to psychological adjustment in survivors of disasters months or even years afterward. However, because very few studies have assessed coping and well-being during the immediate crisis, little is known about the role of religiousness at this critical time.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (Mar 25, 2019). DOI:10.1037/rel0000260
The California Mental Health & Spirituality Initiative in 2009 developed and executed a survey-based campaign to document the spirituality-related needs, preferences, and experiences of individuals and families receiving public mental health services. Through secondary analysis of the data collected in this grassroots initiative, the purpose of this study was to describe the attitudes of individuals receiving mental health services in California regarding spirituality and to identify significant predictors of the degree of interest in integrating spirituality into mental health care. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice (Feb 25, 2019). DOI:10.1037/cns0000185
It is widely assumed that belief in God allows people to better cope with life’s stresses. This stress-buffering effect is not limited to religion; when faced with stress, nonreligious people cling on to other belief systems, notably belief in science. We report an experimental test of whether people are able to down-regulate an acute stress experience by reflecting on their beliefs. We used the Trier Social Stress Test to induce stress in religious and scientist participants from the United Kingdom by having them discuss arguments for and against the United Kingdom leaving the European Union (“Brexit”). To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (Feb 15, 2018): No Pagination Specified
It is known that religiosity is a positive correlate of well-being among adolescents and emerging adults. The current study extends this focus by assessing the roles of self-efficacy and perceived social support, which are presumed to explain the association of religiosity with psychological well-being (PWB). To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Spirituality in Clinical Practice (Jul 19, 2018). DOI:10.1037/scp0000170
Research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military veterans has increasingly converged on the conclusion that several types of spiritual distress (guilt, shame, loss of meaning and purpose, disruption in relationship with a higher power, and moral distress) are related to mental health outcomes in cross-sectional, longitudinal, and cross-lag studies. While theorists have suggested that theological and cognitive explanations for evil (i.e., theodicy) may play a role in this relationship, no studies have examined the relationships between theodicy, spiritual distress, and PTSD in veterans.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Spirituality in Clinical Practice (Jul 12, 2018). DOI:10.1037/scp0000174
In this paper, we described how we have recently incorporated compassion training in the form of Loving Kindness Meditation into an existing psychotherapy for war-related PTSD called Adaptive Disclosure. We provided background to support the assumption that targeting compassion deficits in war-related trauma may improve mental and behavioral health by helping patients engage in adaptive and potentially reparative behaviors, particularly improving social connections. We also described how compassion training may help veterans suffering from traumatic loss and moral injury, specifically. Throughout, we provide clinical heuristics that may help care providers who work with veterans who have experienced diverse war traumas.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.