“Religion in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy?” A Pilot Study: The Meaning of Religiosity/Spirituality from Staff’s Perspective in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

Abstract

This study examined: (1) the spirituality of staff; (2) its relationship with staff"s attitudes towards religiosity/spirituality of patients; and (3) with staff"s integration of religious and spiritual contents in the patient"s therapy. Method: An anonymous survey distributed to the staff in the department of psychiatry and psychotherapy at the Freiburg University Hospital. The main predictor variable was the spirituality of staff using DRI (Duke Religion Index). The main criterion variables were the relevance of religiosity/spirituality of patients and staff"s attitude towards religious/spiritual contents during their therapy using the questionnaire of Curlin et al. Results: The spirituality of staff was 6.91 on a scale of 12.0. There was no significant relationship between variables. Staff regarded the influence of religious/spiritual contents generally positive to patients. However, the staff did not use religious/spiritual elements in their therapy methods. Frequent reasons were insufficient time/occasion and insufficient knowledge. Conclusions: Religious/spiritual contents have not been integrated yet in therapy methods, although they are regarded as important for patients. Further studies and discussion about religious/spiritual matters are essential for their integration into psychiatric therapies in order to overcome these inconsistencies. OPEN ACCESSReligions 2011, 2 526

How do Psychiatric Staffs Approach Religiosity/Spirituality in Clinical Practice? Differing Perceptions among Psychiatric Staff Members and Clinical Chaplains

“…This translation was then revised by a team of professionals. In 2009, a first pilot study was conducted in the department of psychiatry and psychotherapy of the University Medical Center Freiburg in Germany from December 2008 to January 2009 [40]. Based on respondents' comments, response options were modified to a 5-point ordinal scale and all questionnaire items were redesigned into statements.…”

Religiosity/Spirituality and Mental Health: Psychiatric Staff’s Attitudes and Behaviors

“…In 2009 a local pilot study had been accomplished using this instrument [27]. Prior to the pilot study, items were translated from English into German and wordily revised by a team composed of theological and mental health professionals to reflect the environment of a mental health setting.…”

“…However, the number of studies which addressed mental health professionals in this regard is relatively small and the majority of them has been conducted in English-speaking countries, especially in the USA. Such studies show that mental health professionals are less familiar with religious/spiritual issues [20]- [23], while their personal religious/spiritual attitudes unconsciously co-determine the way they deal with ReS in clinical settings [21]- [27]. To further investigate such findings we conducted a nationwide study with psychiatric staff, both physicians and nurses, in Germany.…”

The International NERSH Data Pool—A Methodological Description of a Data Pool of Religious and Spiritual Values of Health Professionals from Six Continents

“…The Danish version was translated in 2009 and data were collected in the years 2011-2012 (Region of Southern Denmark, all physicians) (not published yet). Meanwhile in Freiburg, Germany, Baumann et al collected their data using the German translation in 2008 (pilot from single facility, Freiburg University Clinic, all psychiatric staff) and in 2011 (nationwide, all psychiatry) [6,13]. In 2012, samples were collected in New Zealand (nationwide, all psychiatrists) [20], Congo (single facility, University Hospital of Kinshasa, all physicians), and Brazil (single facility, Marília University Hospital, all physicians) [18].…”

“…Since its development, the RSMPP was translated into seven languages and research teams from around the world published their national findings in the following decade [6,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Most research teams added and subtracted items to study needs.…”