Person:

Bjorgvinsson, Throstur

Cognitive theory and research have traditionally highlighted the relevance of the core beliefs about oneself, the world, and the future to human emotions. For some individuals, however, core beliefs may also explicitly involve spiritual themes. In this article, we propose a cognitive model of worry, in which positive/negative beliefs about the Divine affect symptoms through the mechanism of intolerance of uncertainty. Using mediation analyses, we found support for our model across two studies, in particular, with regards to negative spiritual beliefs. These findings highlight the importance of assessing for spiritual alongside secular convictions when creating cognitive-behavioral case formulations in the treatment of religious individuals.

Background: Belief in God is very common and tied to mental health/illness in the general population, yet its relevance to psychiatric patients has not been adequately studied. We examined relationships between belief in God and treatment outcomes, and identified mediating mechanisms. Methods: We conducted a prospective study with n1⁄4159 patients in a day-treatment program at an academic psychiatric hospital. Belief in God, treatment credibility/expectancy, emotion regulation and congregational support were assessed prior to treatment. Primary outcomes were treatment response as well as degree of reduction in depression over treatment. Secondary outcomes were improvements in psychological well-being and reduction in self-harm. Results: Belief in God was significantly higher among treatment responders than non-responders F(1,114)1⁄44.81, po.05. Higher levels of belief were also associated with greater reductions in depression (r1⁄4.21, po.05) and self-harm (r1⁄4.24, po.01), and greater improvements in psychological well-being (r1⁄4.19, po.05) over course of treatment. Belief remained correlated with changes in depression and self-harm after controlling for age and gender. Perceived treatment credibility/expectancy, but not emotional regulation or community support, mediated relationships between belief in God and reductions in depression. No variables mediated relationships to other outcomes. Religious affiliation was also associated with treatment credibility/expectancy but not treatment outcomes. Conclusions: Belief in God, but not religious affiliation, was associated with better treatment outcomes. With respect to depression, this relationship was mediated by belief in the credibility of treatment and expectations for treatment gains.

Religious coping is very common among individuals with psychosis, however its relevance to symptoms and treatment outcomes remains unclear. We conducted a prospective study in a clinical sample of n1⁄447 psychiatric patients with current/past psychosis receiving partial (day) treatment at McLean Hospital. Subjects completed measures of religious involvement, religious coping and suicidality prior to treatment, and we assessed for psychosis, depression, anxiety and psychological well-being over the course of treatment. Negative religious coping (spiritual struggle) was associated with substantially greater frequency and intensity of suicidal ideation, as well as greater depression, anxiety, and less well-being prior to treatment (accounting for 9.0–46.2% of the variance in these variables). Positive religious coping was associated with significantly greater reductions in depression and anxiety, and increases in well-being over the course of treatment (accounting for 13.7–36.0% of the variance in change scores). Effects remained significant after controlling for significant covariates. Negative religious coping appears to be a risk factor for suicidality and affective symptoms among psychotic patients. Positive religious coping is an important resource to this population, and its utilization appears to be associated with better treatment outcomes.

Results from national studies in the United States suggest that spiritually integrated psycho- therapy may be desired by and beneficial for a specific subset of patients. However, protocols to facilitate these aims within the context of evidence-based psychosocial treatments are few, and, consequently, the availability of spiritually integrated cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is limited. This article describes the development and implementation of a brief (50-minute), stand-alone Spirituality & CBT group piloted in an acute psychiatric setting. This novel treat- ment includes (a) psychoeducation about the relevance of spirituality to psychiatric symptoms, (b) the integration of spiritual beliefs into cognitive restructuring, and (c) the use of spiritual exercises in behavioral activation and self-care. We further report results from a brief survey of 45 patients regarding the perceived relevance of spirituality to symptoms and treatment and their subjective experiences in the group.