A Qualitative Pilot Study of Spirituality in Long-term Recovery in Acquired Brain Injury

Abstract

Increased spirituality occurring after acquired brain injury is a part of post traumatic growth (PTG). Participants were asked about their spirituality, and their responses were analyzed. Eighty-one percent exhibited a moderate spiritual impact on their recovery. Studies suggest that patients’ spiritual needs are not being met, and chaplains are being underutilized. Trust and a sense of presence are essential to encouraging PTG, and, by fully utilizing the skills of our chaplain colleagues, could improve PTG.

Religious and Spiritual Implications in Functional Anger

“…Spirituality has been defined in many ways by researchers with attention to its function as universal human attribute (Pargament, 2011). Empirical research has led to a professional understanding of spirituality as a positive factor for healing of brain injury (Gillespie, 2019), recovery outcomes in substance use (Ghadirian & Salehian, 2018), and many persistent mental health disorders (Saiz et al, 2021). Intake procedures have been modified to include spiritual assessment (Butts & Gutierrez, 2018) and research in the medical profession have led to a better understanding of spirituality as it may promote healing in the area of nursing (Westera, 2017), cancer treatment (Cipriano-Steffens et al, 2020), and cardiology (Muniz da Silva Bezerra et al, 2018).…”