A 32-Year Systematic Review:Exploring the State of Christian Spirituality and Mental Health Research

This study reviewed scholarly articles on the relationship between Christian spirituality and mental health published in academic journals from 1980 to 2022.The review analyzed findings from 44 studies that likely used various research methods like surveys,interviews,and experiments.The results reveal a consistent link between Christian beliefs,such as faith,hope,and love,and positive mental health outcomes.Most studies focused on the therapeutic effects of Christian spirituality in alleviating mental disturbances and improving well-being.However,the review also identified gaps in the literature,including a lack of research on the relationship between Christian spirituality and mental illness,small sample sizes,and a lack of cross-cultural and cross-religious investigations.The article emphasizes the importance of addressing these limitations to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between mental health and spirituality.

Exploring the Intersection of Spirituality and Religion:Transcendence,Secularism,and Personal Beliefs in Contemporary Society

This paper explores the intersection of spirituality and religion,focusing on how transcendence,secularism,and personal beliefs shape contemporary spiritual practices.It examines the philosophical foundations of transcendence,the rise of existentialism,and the distinction between spirituality and religion.Secularism's role in fostering personal spirituality and reducing religious authority is discussed,alongside the psychological and societal impacts of spiritual transcendence.The paper also critiques the limitations of spirituality,emphasizing the need for a balanced approach that integrates cognitive development and mental health perspectives.

From Ancient Rituals to Modern Spirituality:The Evolution and Personalization of Religious Experience

This paper explores the evolution of religious experience from ancient nature worship and ancestor reverence to modern individualized spirituality.It examines how early spiritual practices were deeply intertwined with daily life,later becoming institutionalized through formalized religions with complex rituals and doctrines.The rise of mysticism,emphasizing personal connections with the divine,persisted alongside institutional religions.In contemporary society,the shift towards"spiritual but not religious"reflects a return to personalized spiritual paths,driven by individualism and the desire for direct,meaningful spiritual experiences.This trend's implications for both individuals and society are also discussed.

Coping with Trauma:The Relationship between Religiosity,Spirituality,and Post-Traumatic Symptoms among Civilians Exposed to Ongoing Rocket-Fire

Living under ongoing shelling and missile attacks could cause a widespread of disruption of everyday life and emotional distress.Coping with such distress could be associated with the personal resources of religion and spirituality.The present study aimed to examine the relationships between religiosity and spirituality with Post Traumatic stress Disorder(PTSD)symptoms among a civilian population frequently exposed to missile and rocket threats.One hundred and twenty-four(N=124)civilian participants living within 10 km from shelling and missile attacks fired towards them,completed demographic,religiosity,spirituality,and PTSD questionnaires.The study findings demonstrate that religiosity is associated with higher levels of PTSD symptoms while spirituality is associated with lower levels of PTSD symptoms.When dividing the sample into two groupsreligious and secular,no association was found between religiosity and PTSD symptoms among the religious group,whereas among the secular group,there was a positive association.Spirituality was negatively associated with PTSD symptoms among both groups.This study may offer a significant contribution to models of intervention following continued exposure to trauma,emphasizing the importance of spiritually and sensitivity to religion while coping with PTSD symptoms.Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Association of spiritual well-being with quality of life among undergraduate nursing students

Objective:The study was conducted with the aim of determining the spiritual well-being(SWB)of nursing students and its association with quality of life(QOL).Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted with a sample size of 504 nursing students collected from January 2023 to March 2023 in the nursing institutes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Pakistan,using convenient sampling techniques.A Spiritual Health and Life-Orientation Measure(SHALOM)questionnaire for SWB and K-27 QOL(K-27 QOL)instrument were used for data collection that contains three parts.Results:The number of female participants was in the majority(50.4%)compared to male nurses(49.6%).The overall mean score of SWB of the students was 3.79±0.48,while the mean K-27 QOL score was 3.73±0.57.There were significant differences between the groups of gender(P=0.001),while no significant difference within the groups of semester(P=0.061)and college status(0.285).In QOL,there were significant differences within the groups of semester(P=0.000)and college status(P=0.036)while no significant difference in gender category(P=0.480).SHALOM score is positively and moderately correlated with QOL score(r=0.597,P<0.05).Conclusion:Spiritual practices are one of the important factors that are associated positively with QOL,therefore to enhance the QOL,it will require spiritual practices.

The Black American Church: A Reactionary and Ideological Apparatus of Slavery

This work argues that Denmark Vesey,Nat Turner,Gabriel Prosser,David Walker,Henry Highland Garnet,amongst a few others were the reactionary(dialectical)exceptions to the black church,not the norm,an(ideological)institution established to interpellate and indoctrinate blacks to accept their conditions in slavery.In other words,the aforementioned were the enslaved who used Christian dogma to(negative dialectically)respond to the barbarity of slavery by violently convicting white Christian society for not living up to its values,ideas,and ideals given the treatment of African people by so-called Christians.In the latter sense it was reactionary;in the former,it was an ideological apparatus of domination and control for the institution of slavery.The contemporary attempt to racially vindicate the black church as a sui generis revolutionary institution overflowing with Africanisms is ahistorical and ideological reaped in pseudoscientific propositions stemming from postmodern and post-structural theories.

Spiritual Forests—A Nature Conservation Model of Ethnic Minority Communities in Central Viet Nam

This paper aims to analyze and evaluate a model of forest conservation and management of ethnic minority (or indigenous) people in central Vietnam, often referred to as the spiritual forest. These forests, called sacred forest or ghost forests by the ethnic minority people in Thua Thien Hue province, have existed for a long time among forest residents. However, they have recently declined, both in quality and quantity, due to various factors, including changes in society, economy, environment, and perception, among other reasons. Based on research conducted in A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue province with household interviews, group discussions, and field surveys, we find that spiritual forest retains religious and human significance. They are also often among the last remaining natural forests left due to deforestation by human activities. The research results indicate challenges that conservation of spiritual forest may face, while giving recommendations derived from communities for sustainable forest development and conservation in the region.

Psychosocial and spiritual needs of patients with chronic diseases: validation of the Chinese version of the Spiritual Needs Questionnaire

OBJECTIVE： Even in secular societies, a small portion of patients find their spirituality to help cope with illness. But for the majority of patients, psychosocial and spiritual needs are neither addressed nor even considered a relevant factor by health care professionals. To measure such specific needs, the Spiritual Needs Questionnaire （SpNQ） was developed. The aim of this study was to validate the Chinese version of the SpNQ （SpNQ-Ch） and thus to measure psychosocial and spiritual needs of Chinese patients. METHODS： This was a cross-sectional study among 168 patients with chronic diseases who were recruited in the Changhai Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China using standardized questionnaires. We performed reliability and factor analyses, as well as analyses of variance, first order correlations and regression analyses. RESULTS： The 17-item SpNQ-Ch had a similar factorial structure as the original version with two main and three minor factors which accounted for 64% of variance, and internal consistency estimates （Cronbach＇s a） ranging from 0.51 to 0.81. Included were the 4-item scale Inner Peace Needs, the 5-item scale Giving/Generativity （with 2 sub-constructs, Praying and Sources）, and a Needs, the 5-item scale Religious Needs 3-item scale Reflection/Release Needs. In Chinese patients with cancer （63%）, pain affections （10%）, or other chronic conditions （23%）, the needs for Giving/Generativity （which refer to categories of Connectedness and Meaning） and Inner Peace Needs scored highest, while Religious Needs and the Reflection/Release Needs scored lower. CONCLUSION： The SpNQ-Ch is congruent with its primary version, and can be used in future studies with the mostly nonreligious patients from China. First findings indicate specific psychosocial and spiritual needs which should be addressed by health care professionals to support patients in their struggle with chronic illness in terms of psycho-emotional stabilization, finding hope and meaning, and thus achieving peaceful states of mind despite chronic illness.

Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of spiritual needs questionnaire with 27 items (SpNQ-Ch-27) in cancer patients

Objective: To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Spiritual Needs Questionnaire with 27 items (SpNQ-Ch-27) for cancer patients.Methods: A total of 457 cancer patients in a tertiary hospital in Xinjiang from March to July in 2017 were investigated by using the SpNQ-Ch-27 and convenient sampling method.They were recruited to validate the discrimination,reliability,and validity of the scale.According to the odd and even questionnaire numbers,data were divided into two groups to do exploratory factor analysis group and confirmatory factor analysis,respectively.Results: SpNQ-Ch-27 included 27 items and six factors,which were extracted by using factor analysis.It could explain 63.08% of the total variance.The total scores of each dimension and the SpNQ-Ch-27 were highly correlated,and the correlation coefficient was from 0.58 to 0.78.For the CFA,the overall fitting ideal was x2/df=2.00,RMSEA =0.07,IFI =0.93,NFI =0.86,CFI =0.92,TLI =0.90;Cronbach's α =0.90;the dimensions of Cronbach's α =0.63-0.95;split-half reliability was 0.82,dimensions were 0.68-0.95.Conclusion: SpNQ-Ch-27 is applicable for Chinese cancer patients with better validity and higher internal consistency,and it can be used as a tool to assess the spiritual needs of cancer patients.

Diversity for Peace： India＇s Cultural Spirituality

In this age, the challenges of urbanization, industrialization, globalization, and mechanization have been eroding the stability of communities. Additionally, every existence, including humans, suffers from nature＇s calamities and innate evolutionary changes--physically, mentally, and spiritually. India＇s cultural tradition, being one of the oldest, has provided diverse worldviews, philosophies, and practices for peaceful-coexistence. Quite often, the multi-faceted tradition has used different methods of syncretism relevant to the socio-cultural conditions of the time. Ideologically correct, ＂perfect＂ peace is unattainable. However, it seems necessary to examine the core philosophical principles and practices India used to create unity in diversity, between people of diverse races, genders, and ethnicities. The paper briefly examines the nature of India＇s cultural tradition in terms of its spirituality or philosophy of religion and its application to social constructs. Secondarily, the paper suggests consideration of the use of India＇s spirituality based on ethics for peaceful living in the context of diversity of life.

Spirituality,religiousness,and mental health:A review of the current scientific evidence

Research in the field of“Spirituality and Health”has been growing,with spirituality/religiousness(S/R)being consistently related to both physical and mental health.The objective of this article is to provide an updated review of the current scientific evidence on the relationship between S/R and mental health,highlighting the most important studies.As a secondary objective,the mechanisms that explain this relationship and the interventions that utilize this information in treating mental disorders will be discussed.The findings reveal a large body of evidence across numerous psychiatric disorders.Although solid evidence is now available for depression,suicidality,and substance use,other diagnosis,such as post-traumatic stress disorder,psychosis,and anxiety,have also shown promising results.The effects of S/R on mental health are likely bidirectional,and the manner in which religious beliefs are used to cope with distress(i.e.negative and positive),may affect mental health outcomes.Despite these findings,the mechanisms that explain these associations and the role of S/R interventions need further study.Concerning clinical practice,mental health providers should ask patients about S/R that are important in their lives to provide holistic and patient-centered care.

Exploring the Multivariate Relationships between Adolescent Depression and Social Support, Religiosity, and Spirituality in a Faith-Based High School

Depression is one of the most common psychological disorders that affect adolescents. In this study, we investigated how depression in adolescents relates to social support, religiosity, and spirituality in multivariate analyses. We also investigated whether age, gender and ethnicity are predictors of depression among adolescents in a faith-based high school. We measured social support using the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS), religiosity with the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL);spirituality with the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS);and depression with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC). Results of the bivariate analyses showed a significant negative association between depression and social support, religiosity, and spirituality (p –0.548, p = 0.00) was negatively related to depression in adolescents. The study found significant gender differences only in religiosity, while significant ethnic differences were only found in social support. Implications to education, practice, research and future directions of study are discussed.

The Last Farewell Embrace:Spirituality,Near-Death Experiences and Other Extraordinary Events Among Nurses

This recension to the book of Alejandro Parra aims to be a contribution on the various topics that the theme on the experiences in “threshold of death” addresses,namely,paranormal phenomena experienced by several people,such as the nurses,and that are impossible to be explained within the current biomedical model.In this sense,the study of the concept of spirituality in health care could be an important topic to be approached in this area of research with the purpose of better understanding the patients who are in the process of “passing”,as well as expand the perspective of the current biomedical model,so as to take into consideration the human being in its various dimensions: spiritual,psychological,and physical/biological.

Factors Affecting the Health-Related Quality of Life of Community-Dwelling Elderly in Japan: A Focus on Spirituality

This study aimed to explain factors affecting health-related quality of life among community-dwelling elderly individuals living in Japan. We conducted a questionnaire survey of 898 individuals at senior citizens clubs in a rural area near the Tokyo metropolitan area in 2015, and analyzed the responses of 715 who provided valid responses. The survey questions included basic attributes (e.g., age, economic affluence), state of health (e.g., whether s/he has heart disease or not), the Spirituality Rating Scale Related to Health in the Elderly (SP Health Scale, composed of, e.g., meaning and purpose of living, self-transcendence), the Abbreviated Lubben Social Network Scale, and the MOS 8-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-8). Multiple regression analyses were performed using the physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) of the SF-8 as dependent variables and all others as independent variables. Factors associated with improved PCS were economic affluence and SP Health Scale (meaning and purpose of living), while the factors associated with reduced PCS were age and state of health (heart disease, gastrointestinal disease, osteoarthritis, lower back pain, knee pain, and eligible for long-term care). Meanwhile, factors associated with improved MCS were economic affluence, while those that were associated with reduced MCS were state of health (cancer and headache) and SP Health Scale (self-transcendence). These results suggest the need to understand spirituality in addition to the subjective economic situation, age, and medical condition of elderly individuals in order to improve their physical and mental health.

The Prevalence of Psychosomatic Symptoms and Spirituality Levels among University Students in South Jordan

Psychosomatic symptoms are present in various stages of life. University students have also manifested such symptoms, which were also found to be linked to the level of spirituality affecting physical and psychological well-being. This study aims to examine whether spirituality can predict the presence of psychosomatic symptoms by investigating the relationship between the prevalence of psychosomatic symptoms and the level of spirituality among university students in South Jordan. An exploratory cross-sectional design involving convenience samples and self-administered questionnaires using the twelveitem general health questionnaire including spirituality-based items were used to collect data for this study. A total of 1269 completed the study questionnaire. Students’ responses indicated various psychosomatic symptoms causing issues to better academic achievement, including students’ feeling of uselessness, followed by their lack of happiness, inability to make decisions and solve problems, and lack of concentration on what they are doing. They considered spirituality as an important part of their life. Lower scores on general health questionnaire were observed to have higher scores on spirituality items indicating that students with better spirituality practices have less psychological symptoms. Based on the findings of this study, the level of spirituality influences the prevalence of psychosomatic symptoms. Conducting educational programs to improve the spiritual well-being of students could be beneficial. Further, it is important that students’ affairs board at the university perform proper assessment and interventions to improve the spirituality level to decrease the impact of psychosomatic symptoms among students.

Spirituality in Vocational Training of Information and Communication Technology Professionals in the Light of David Hay’s Conception

The key objective of this article is to use the David Hay’s conception of spirituality in the vocational training of Information and Communication Technology （ICT） professionals. The purpose of this research is to investigate the connection between spirituality and vocational training of ICT professionals. The spirituality model founded by David Hay has been used in this research article which contains awareness sensing, mystery sensing, and value sensing. The paper has used qualitative methodology and instruments for data collection are biographical interview. Qualitative data have been analyzed by using Nvivo 11. Initial results show the preliminary picture of the role of spirituality in vocational training of ICT professionals.

Beliefs and Practices Regarding Spirituality as a Healthcare Strategy

Objective: This study examined the perceptions and practices of medical personnel regarding the spirituality in the treatment management plan of their patients. Methods: A spirituality survey was administered to doctors and nurses, soliciting responses about their beliefs and willingness to include spirituality practices in treating patients within their facility. Respondents were asked to give their views on daily practices regarding the use of spirituality in patient care and patient response to treatment. Results: The doctors’ responses suggest that they believe that solutions to medical problems, patient recovery, and coping are related to mind and body stress issues that surgery and drugs may not necessarily cure. The emphasis on self-care for some of these medical problems can put the patient back in control and eliminate the use of excessive drugs in the treatment process. Chances for health and well being of patients are improved if good medical practices are combined with a strong mental and psychological disposition to provide a vital foundation for directly confronting diseases. Conclusion: Spiritual engagement helps to support a psychological outlook that is necessary for fighting diseases and coping adequately with life’s tragedies. This approach provides a well-balanced attack on disease and increases the patient’s chances of coping and surviving.

Culture Survivance and Religion Healing： On Ojibwe Spirituality in Healing Trauma in LaRose

As of French, German and Ojibwe mixed-blood origin, Louise Erdrich, a well-known and prolific American writer, has always been dealing with the theme of the relationship between Catholicism and Ojibwe spirituality in her fictional world. Her attitude towards Catholicism and Ojibwe spirituality has sparked a heated discussion among scholars and researchers in recent years. Under such academic atmosphere, therefore, LaRose is discussed in this paper. It is shown inLaRose that when white and tribal history come together, where Catholic and traditional spirit worlds intersect, and when Western legal justice cannot solve an ethical problem, Ojibwe spirituality can be used for healing trauma, which is represented through the tradition of adoption as a spiritual reparation, the acquisition of power through naming and biological inheritance and the practice of rituals and ceremonies, from all of which the healing power is derived. Rather than being a syncretism with Catholic, Ojibwe spirituality should preserve its own traditions and cultures to survive generational as well as individual trauma and maintain a culture survivance

Psychological Assessment Involving Spirituality With Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Interest in including spiritual assessments in therapeutic settings has increased in recent years.Even though many psychologists view spirituality as very important to clients’well-being,many report that they do not discuss spirituality in their practice.An inclusion of spirituality may be particularly important when dealing with specific groups for which spirituality/religiosity is a large part of their worldview,such as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Therefore,this study examined a number of comprehensive spiritual assessment tools to consider when working with members of the Church of Jesus Christ.These tools were evaluated by 100 clinicians.In general,this set of tools was moderately to be mostly consistent with the culture of the Church,with each one having specific strengths and limitations.

Spirituality from Sunrise to Sunset

This paper describes the spirituality of the faculty and student respondents. The questionnaire solicited the respondents＇ perceptions of themselves and their feelings. They identified persons, symbols, object, and activities that give meaning to their lives, their relationship with others, and the ＂Divine＂. Results showed that the respondents described themselves as ＂a person with dignity＂, ＂a child of God＂ whose primary purpose is to love and to serve. Family members, good fi＇iends and supervisors are people who remind them of God＇s love and compassion. Symbols of cross, crucifix, heart; Church and chapels; Prayers, Mass, Retreats and Recollections are activities that reminded the respondents of God＇s presence inside the university.