Teaching Spiritual and Religious Competencies to Psychiatry Residents: A Scoping and Systematic Review

For many persons worldwide, mental health is inseparably linked with spirituality and religion (S&R), yet psychiatrists have repeatedly expressed doubts regarding their preparedness to address patients' spirituality or religion appropriately. In recent decades, medical educators have developed and implemented curricula for teaching S&R-related competencies to psychiatry residents. The authors reviewed the literature to understand the scope and effectiveness of these educational initiatives.

The authors searched 8 databases to identify studies for a scoping review and a systematic review. The scoping review explored educational approaches (topics, methods) used in psychiatry residency programs to teach S&R-related competencies. The systematic review examined changes in psychiatry trainees' competencies and/or in patient outcomes following exposure to these educational interventions.

Twelve studies met criteria for inclusion in the scoping review. All reported providing residents with both (1) a general overview of the intersections between mental health and S&R and (2) training in relevant interviewing and assessment skills. Seven of these studies-representing an estimated 218 postgraduate psychiatry trainees and at least 84 patients-were included in the systematic review. Residents generally rated themselves as being more competent in addressing patients' S&R-related concerns following the trainings. One randomized controlled trial found that patients with severe mental illness who were treated by residents trained in S&R-related competencies attended more appointments than control patients.

S&R-related educational interventions appeared generally well tolerated and appreciated by psychiatry trainees and their patients; however, some topics (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous) received infrequent emphasis, and some experiential teaching methodologies (e.g., attending chaplaincy rounds) were less frequently used for psychiatry residents than for medical students. The positive association between teaching S&R-related competencies to psychiatry residents and patient appointment attendance merits further study. Future trainings should supplement classroom learning with experiential approaches and incorporate objective measures of resident competence.