Addressing the existential dimension in treatment settings: Mental health professionals' and healthcare chaplains' attitudes, practices, understanding and perceptions of value Show others and affiliations
2019 (English) In: Archive for the Psychology of Religion/ Archiv für Religionspsychologie, ISSN 0084-6724, E-ISSN 1573-6121, Vol. 41, no 3, p. 253-276Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Research has shown that addressing and integrating the existential dimension in treatment settings reduce symptoms like anxiety, depression and substance abuse. Healthcare chaplains are key personnel in this practice. A nationwide, cross-sectional survey influenced by a mixed-methods approach was used to examine the attitudes, practices, understanding and perceptions of mental health professionals, including healthcare chaplains, regarding the value of addressing the existential dimension in treatment programmes. The existential group practice was led by the healthcare chaplains as an integrated part of specialist mental health services. A positive and open attitude towards addressing the existential dimension was identified among the informants. Despite this, a small gap between attitude and practice was reported. Existential, religious and spiritual concerns are reported as part of the existential dimension and as relevant topics to be discussed in specialist mental health services. The findings indicate that the existential group practice could have a positive influence on the co-leaders' competence to address existential, religious and spiritual concerns; however, this should be further investigated.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages Sage Publications, 2019. Vol. 41, no 3, p. 253-276
Keywords [en]
Existential, existential dimension, existential group practice, healthcare chaplains, mental health, mental health professionals, religious and spiritual struggles
National Category
Nursing Religious Studies
Identifiers URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-165752 DOI: 10.1177/0084672419883345 ISI: 000496575800001 Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85077210038 OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-165752 DiVA, id: diva2:1376322
2019-12-092019-12-092023-03-24 Bibliographically approved