Spirituality, Schizophrenia, and State Hospitals: Program Description and Characteristics of Self-Selected Attendees of a Spirituality Therapeutic Group

• Published in: Psychiatric quarterly Vol. 81; no. 4; pp. 285 - 292
• Main Authors: Revheim, Nadine, Greenberg, William M., Citrome, Leslie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.12.2010; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Hospitals; Hospitals, State; Humans; Inpatients - psychology; Institution therapy. Inpatient treatment; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Paper; Program Development; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychotherapy, Group - methods; Public Health; Quality of Life; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - diagnosis; Schizophrenia - therapy; Schizophrenic Psychology; Self Concept; Selfefficacy; Social Behavior; Social functioning; Sociology; Spirituality; Treatment Outcome; Treatments; United States; North America; America; Schizophrenia; Spirituality; State hospitals; Social environment; Human; Group treatment; Hope hopelessness; Mental health; Hospital environment; Quality of life; Psychosis; Treatment; Cross sectional study; Self efficacy; Therapeutic role; Public health
• ISSN: 0033-2720; 1573-6709
• DOI: 10.1007/s11126-010-9137-z

Spiritual matters can be an important part in the recovery process of patients with schizophrenia. A spirituality-based therapeutic group was developed for patients hospitalized on a research specialty unit jointly operated by a state hospital and a research institute. This report offers a description of this program and examines potential associations between spirituality and coping in patients with schizophrenia who either attended or did not attend the inpatient spirituality group. We compared group attendees ( n  = 20) with non-attendees ( n  = 20) cross-sectionally, using measures of spirituality, self-efficacy (i.e. the confidence in one’s ability), quality of life, and hopefulness, and religious/personal demographic profiles. For the total sample, spirituality status was significantly correlated with self-efficacy for both social functioning and negative symptoms. Significant differences were found between group attendees and non-attendees for spirituality status, but not for self-efficacy or quality of life. For group attendees, spirituality status was significantly correlated with self-efficacy for positive symptoms, negative symptoms and social functioning. Group attendees were significantly more hopeful than non-attendees and hopefulness was significantly associated with degree of spirituality status. These findings lend support for offering spirituality groups and positive coping during recovery from psychiatric disabilities.