A Longitudinal Study Demonstrating the Influence of Chaplaincy Services, Religiosity, and Spirituality on Health...

This longitudinal study determined relationships among spirituality, religious practices, chaplaincy services, and health outcomes for 71 individuals with chronic disabilities (i.e., TBI, SCI, Guillain-Barré syndrome) in an inpatient rehabilitation program in southeastern USA. Demographic variables, number of chaplaincy sessions, and measures of religiosity/spirituality (i.e., Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality) and health outcomes (i.e., World Health Organization Quality of Life) were collected during inpatient rehabilitation (Time 1; n = 71) and at 6 months post-discharge (Time 2; n = 34). Overall, individuals with worse health and a higher degree of spirituality (both positive and negative) received more chaplaincy services. Pearson correlations at both Time 1 and 2 indicated that positive spirituality and frequency of religious activities are associated with better psychological health, and physical health to a lesser extent, and particularly after community reintegration. In contrast, negative spirituality is significantly associated with worse long-term health outcomes at both time points. A hierarchical regression indicated that Time 1 positive spirituality is the only predictor of psychological health at 6 months post-discharge. The results support that chaplaincy services offered during inpatient rehabilitation appear to provide individuals with the most significant disabilities the spiritual/religious resources necessary for positive health outcomes (both psychologically and physically), and particularly after they return to their home communities. Clinical and research applications are discussed.