Does religious psychotherapy improve anxiety and depression in religious adults? A review of randomized controlled...

Nurses in mental health settings are expected to provide insightful, wholistic, and effective care. Many patients in mental health settings have concerns or needs related to spiritual or religious dimensions. Unfortunately, many of these concerns are not addressed. Religious psychotherapy (RPT) is an approach to therapy that attempts to recognize and utilize the religious beliefs of clients in treatment for the purposes of reducing mental health difficulties. The purpose of this paper is to review the current randomized and controlled research (RCT) on the utilization of RPT in adult populations with anxiety and depressive disorders and to make recommendations for practice and future research. A search of the literature yielded four studies. A critical review of the studies yielded the following findings: (1) The findings across studies consistently demonstrate that RPT is as effective as standard treatment; (2) the results in each study were statistically significant and appeared to qualify as being clinically significant; and 3) the studies reviewed, although varying in quality, were true experiments marked by intervention, randomization, and control groups or comparison with standard treatment groups. There is warrant for greater consideration of the religious beliefs of depressed and anxious clients in outpatient settings. Nurses should be aware of the potential for the reduction of distressing symptomology through the consideration of clients' belief systems as they effect clients' perceptions of their own mental health.