Awe and transcendence

ثُمَّ قَسَتۡ قُلُوبُكُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ ذَٰلِكَ فَهِيَ كَٱلۡحِجَارَةِ أَوۡ أَشَدُّ قَسۡوَةࣰۚ وَإِنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡحِجَارَةِ لَمَا يَتَفَجَّرُ مِنۡهُ ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُۚ وَإِنَّ مِنۡهَا لَمَا يَشَّقَّقُ فَيَخۡرُجُ مِنۡهُ ٱلۡمَآءُۚ وَإِنَّ مِنۡهَا لَمَا يَهۡبِطُ مِنۡ خَشۡيَةِ ٱللَّهِۗ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ بِغَٰفِلٍ عَمَّا تَعۡمَلُونَ

Even after that, your hearts became as hard as rocks, or even harder, for there are rocks from which streams spring out, and some from which water comes when they split open, and others which fall down in awe of God: He is not unaware of what you do

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ هُم مِّنۡ خَشۡيَةِ رَبِّهِم مُّشۡفِقُونَ

Those who stand in awe of their Lord

لَوۡ أَنزَلۡنَا هَٰذَا ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ عَلَىٰ جَبَلࣲ لَّرَأَيۡتَهُۥ خَٰشِعࣰ ا مُّتَصَدِّعࣰ ا مِّنۡ خَشۡيَةِ ٱللَّهِۚ وَتِلۡكَ ٱلۡأَمۡثَٰلُ نَضۡرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

If We had sent this Quran down to a mountain, you [Prophet] would have seen it humbled and split apart in its awe of God: We offer people such illustrations so that they may reflect

وَلَمَّا سَكَتَ عَن مُّوسَى ٱلۡغَضَبُ أَخَذَ ٱلۡأَلۡوَاحَۖ وَفِي نُسۡخَتِهَا هُدࣰ ى وَرَحۡمَةࣱ لِّلَّذِينَ هُمۡ لِرَبِّهِمۡ يَرۡهَبُونَ

When Moses’ anger abated, he picked up the Tablets, on which were inscribed guidance and mercy for those who stood in awe of their Lord

وَٱذۡكُر رَّبَّكَ فِي نَفۡسِكَ تَضَرُّعࣰ ا وَخِيفَةࣰ وَدُونَ ٱلۡجَهۡرِ مِنَ ٱلۡقَوۡلِ بِٱلۡغُدُوِّ وَٱلۡأٓصَالِ وَلَا تَكُن مِّنَ ٱلۡغَٰفِلِينَ

[Prophet], remember your Lord inwardly, in all humility and awe, without raising your voice, in the mornings and in the evenings- do not be one of the heedless

إِنَّمَا ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ ٱللَّهُ وَجِلَتۡ قُلُوبُهُمۡ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتۡ عَلَيۡهِمۡ ءَايَٰتُهُۥ زَادَتۡهُمۡ إِيمَٰنࣰ ا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمۡ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ

true believers are those whose hearts tremble with awe when God is mentioned, whose faith increases when His revelations are recited to them, who put their trust in their Lord

Then your hearts became hardened after that, so they were like stones or even harder. And there are stones from which rivers come gushing, and among them are those that split and water comes forth from them, and among them are those that fall down in fear of God. In the case of the ignorant, the hardening of the heart is unkindness, lack of mercy, and distance from the path of the Real. In the case of the recognizers, the purifiers, and the limpid, hardening is the strength of the heart, the state of stability, the perfection of knowledge, and the state of limpid- ness. Abū Bakr used to show it from himself. Whenever he saw that someone was weeping and twisting in himself because of listening to the Qur'an, he would say, “I was like that until the hearts became hardened.” This hardening is an allusion to the perfection of the state of the recognizers and the majesty of the level of the s

Surely those who tremble in fear of their Lord… it is they who hurry to good deeds. When an intelligent man ponders the meaning of these verses, he will come to know that the obedi- ent are more fearful in their obedience than the disobedient are fearful in their disobedience. Just as the disobedient need His curtaining, so also the obedient need His curtaining. The Real says, “And repent all together to God, O you who have faith! [24:31]. O faithful, you who are obedient and you who are disobedient! All of you return to Our threshold with the attribute of pleading! In the state of poverty and brokenness ask for Our forgiveness, so that We may cover you with the curtain of Our mercy.” I wonder at the empty-headed Qur'an-reciter who makes two cycles of prayer at night and the next day knits the knot of self-seeing on his brow and places the favor of his own being on heaven and earth. All

Then your hearts became hardened O you Jews they your hearts became stiffened against acceptance of the truth thereafter that is after what is mentioned of the bringing back to life of the slain man and the other signs before this; and they are like stones in their hardness or even yet harder than these; for there are stones from which rivers come gushing and others split yashshaqqaq the initial tā’ of the root-form yatashaqqaq has been assimilated with the shīn so that water issues from them; and others come down from on high in fear of God while your hearts are unmoved unstirred and not humbled; And God is not heedless of what you do but instead He gives you respite until your time comes ta‘malūna ‘you do’ a variant reading has ya‘malūna ‘they do’ indicating a shift to the third person address.

Surely those who for fear of their Lord are apprehensive are fearful of His chastisement

Had We sent down this Qur’ān upon a mountain and had it the mountain been endowed with a faculty of discernment like man you would have surely seen it humbled rent asunder by the fear of God. And such similitudes as those mentioned — do We strike for mankind that perhaps they may reflect and so become believers.

Had We sent down this Qur'an on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and rent asunder by the fear of Allah. Such are the parables which We put forward to mankind that they may reflect (21)He is Allah, beside Whom La ilaha illa Huwa, the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen. He is the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful (22)He is Allah, beside Whom La ilaha illa Huwa, Al-Malik, Al-Quddus, As-Salam, Al-Mu'min, Al-Muhaymin, Al-'Aziz, Al-Jabbar, Al-Mutakabbir. Glory be to Allah! Above all that they associate as partners with Him (23)He is Allah, Al-Khaliq, Al-Bari, Al-Musawwir. To Him belong the Best Names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorify Him. And He is the Almighty, the All-Wise (24) Asserting the Greatness of the Qur'an Allah the Exalted emphasizes the greatness of the Qur'an, its high status and of being worthy of making hearts humble and rent asunder

حَدَّثَنَا هَدَّابُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، ح وَحَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاذُ بْنُ مُعَاذٍ الْعَنْبَرِيُّ، ح وَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الأَعْلَى، حَدَّثَنَا الْمُعْتَمِرُ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ، بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَخْبَرَنَا جَرِيرٌ، كُلُّهُمْ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ التَّيْمِيِّ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كَامِلٍ، فُضَيْلُ بْنُ حُسَيْنٍ - وَاللَّفْظُ لَهُ - حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ زُرَيْعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا التَّيْمِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ، عَنْ أُسَامَةَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ قُمْتُ عَلَى بَابِ الْجَنَّةِ فَإِذَا عَامَّةُ مَنْ دَخَلَهَا الْمَسَاكِينُ وَإِذَا أَصْحَابُ الْجَدِّ مَحْبُوسُونَ إِلاَّ أَصْحَابَ النَّارِ فَقَدْ أُمِرَ بِهِمْ إِلَى النَّارِ وَقُمْتُ عَلَى بَابِ النَّارِ فَإِذَا عَامَّةُ مَنْ دَخَلَهَا النِّسَاءُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Usama b. Zaid reported that Allah's Messenger (way peace be upon him) said:I stood at the door of Paradise and I found that the overwhelming majority of those who entered therein was that of poor persons and the wealthy persons were detained to get into that. The denizens of Hell were commanded to get into Hell, and I stood upon the door of Fire and the majority amongst them who entered there was that of women

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي عَرُوبَةَ، سَمِعَ أَبَا رَجَاءٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَذَكَرَ مِثْلَهُ ‏.‏

This hadith is narrated likewise through another chain of transmitters

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ جَامِعِ بْنِ شَدَّادٍ، عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ مُحْرِزٍ، عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ جَاءَ نَفَرٌ مِنْ بَنِي تَمِيمٍ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ ‏"‏ يَا بَنِي تَمِيمٍ، أَبْشِرُوا ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالُوا بَشَّرْتَنَا فَأَعْطِنَا‏.‏ فَتَغَيَّرَ وَجْهُهُ، فَجَاءَهُ أَهْلُ الْيَمَنِ، فَقَالَ ‏"‏ يَا أَهْلَ الْيَمَنِ، اقْبَلُوا الْبُشْرَى إِذْ لَمْ يَقْبَلْهَا بَنُو تَمِيمٍ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالُوا قَبِلْنَا‏.‏ فَأَخَذَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُحَدِّثُ بَدْءَ الْخَلْقِ وَالْعَرْشِ، فَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا عِمْرَانُ، رَاحِلَتُكَ تَفَلَّتَتْ، لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَقُمْ‏.‏

Narrated `Imran bin Husain:Some people of Bani Tamim came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and he said (to them), "O Bani Tamim! rejoice with glad tidings." They said, "You have given us glad tidings, now give us something." On hearing that the color of his face changed then the people of Yemen came to him and he said, "O people of Yemen ! Accept the good tidings, as Bani Tamim has refused them." The Yemenites said, "We accept them. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) started taking about the beginning of creation and about Allah's Throne. In the mean time a man came saying, "O `Imran! Your she-camel has run away!'' (I got up and went away), but I wish I had not left that place (for I missed what Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had said

وَرَوَى عِيسَى، عَنْ رَقَبَةَ، عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ، عَنْ طَارِقِ بْنِ شِهَابٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ يَقُولُ قَامَ فِينَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَقَامًا، فَأَخْبَرَنَا عَنْ بَدْءِ الْخَلْقِ حَتَّى دَخَلَ أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ مَنَازِلَهُمْ، وَأَهْلُ النَّارِ مَنَازِلَهُمْ، حَفِظَ ذَلِكَ مَنْ حَفِظَهُ، وَنَسِيَهُ مَنْ نَسِيَهُ‏.‏

Narrated 'Umar:One day the Prophet (ﷺ) stood up amongst us for a long period and informed us about the beginning of creation (and talked about everything in detail) till he mentioned how the people of Paradise will enter their places and the people of Hell will enter their places. Some remembered what he had said, and some forgot it

حَدَّثَنَا الْمَكِّيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ ـ هُوَ ابْنُ أَبِي هِنْدٍ ـ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ نِعْمَتَانِ مَغْبُونٌ فِيهِمَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، الصِّحَّةُ وَالْفَرَاغُ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ عَبَّاسٌ الْعَنْبَرِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا صَفْوَانُ بْنُ عِيسَى، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي هِنْدٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِثْلَهُ‏.‏

Narrated Ibn `Abbas:The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "There are two blessings that many people are deceived into losing: health and free time

حَدَّثَنِي أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْمِقْدَامِ، حَدَّثَنَا الْفُضَيْلُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو حَازِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سَهْلُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ السَّاعِدِيُّ، كُنَّا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي الْخَنْدَقِ وَهْوَ يَحْفِرُ وَنَحْنُ نَنْقُلُ التُّرَابَ وَيَمُرُّ بِنَا فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ اللَّهُمَّ لاَ عَيْشَ إِلاَّ عَيْشُ الآخِرَهْ، فَاغْفِرْ لِلأَنْصَارِ وَالْمُهَاجِرَهْ ‏"‏‏.‏ تَابَعَهُ سَهْلُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِثْلَهُ‏.‏

Narrated Sahl bin Sa`d As-Sa`idi:We were in the company of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in (the battle of) Al-Khandaq, and he was digging the trench while we were carrying the earth away. He looked at us and said, "O Allah! There is no life worth living except the life of the Hereafter, so (please) forgive the Ansar and the Emigrants

ومن فهم ذلك فجدير بأن يكون حاله الخشية والحزن ولذلك قال الحسن والله ما أصبح اليوم عبد يتلو القرآن يؤمن به إلا كثر حزنه وقل فرحه وكثر بكاؤه وقل ضحكه وكثر نصبه وشغله وقلت راحته وبطالته

وقال بعضهم إنما العلم الخشية لقوله تعالى إنما يخشى الله من عباده العلماء وكأنه أشار إلى أخص ثمرات العلم

فإن الخشية ثمرة العلم فتكون كالمجاز لغير تلك الغريزة ولكن ليس الغرض البحث عن اللغة

فالطمأنينة والاقشعرار والخشية ولين القلب كل ذلك وجد

والإنابة جامعة لمقام المحبة والخشية لا يكون العبد منيبا إلا باجتماعهما

ومقام المراقبة جامع للمعرفة مع الخشية فبحسبهما يصح مقام المراقبة

App-based mindfulness training supported eudaimonic wellbeing during the COVID19 pandemic.: A randomized-controlled-trial study (N = 219) tested two pre-registered hypotheses that mobile-phone app-based mindfulness training improves wellbeing and increases self-transcendent emotions: gratitude, self-compassion, and awe. Latent change score modeling with a robust maximum likelihood estimator was used to test how those changes are associated in the training versus the waiting-list group. The training increased wellbeing and all self-transcendent emotions regardless of interindividual var

Self-transcendence among adults 65 years and older: A meta-analysis.: Introduction: Self-transcendence is a human capacity for wellbeing by expanding one's personal boundaries and may act as a health-promoting resource among adults ≥65 years. Therefore, the objectives of this meta-analysis were to determine the mean score of self-transcendence based on place of residence and gender, and to evaluate the correlations of self-transcendence with meaning, sense of coherence, resilience and depression. Methods: Based on inclusion criteria, 13 studies were included. Orwi

Correlates of post-traumatic stress symptoms and growth in cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.: Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the relationships among demographic, medical, and psychosocial factors and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and post-traumatic growth (PTG) in oncology populations. Method: A systematic search identified k = 116 relevant studies published between 1990 and 2012. Meta-analyses synthesized results from studies that reported data on correlates of PTSS (k = 26) or PTG (k = 48). A meta-analysis was performed for k = 5 studies reporting the correlatio

Systematic Literature Review of the Impact of Islamic Psychotherapy on Adolescent Spiritual Well-Being.: Islamic psychotherapy has been widely utilized in various fields, particularly in psychology, focusing on aspects of aqidah, worship, and morality, which can significantly contribute to individuals' spiritual well-being. Despite the abundance of studies on Islamic psychotherapy, systematic literature reviews on this topic remain scarce. This article aims to review the literature on the impact of Islamic psychotherapy on adolescent spiritual well-being. A qualitative research methodology was empl

Experimental elicitations of awe: a meta-analysis.: A meta-analytic review of studies that experimentally elicited awe and compared the emotion to other conditions (84; 487 effects; 17,801 participants) examined the degree to which experimentally elicited awe (1) affects outcomes relative to other positive emotions (2) affects experience, judgment, behaviour, and physiology, and (3) differs in its effects if the awe state was elicited through positive or threatening contexts. The efficacy of methods that have been used to experimentally elicit aw

Religiosity and spirituality in the prevention and management of depression and anxiety in young people: a systematic review and meta-analysis.: Historically, religion has had a central role in shaping the psychosocial and moral development of young people. While religiosity and spirituality have been linked to positive mental health outcomes in adults, their role during the developmental context of adolescence, and the mechanisms through which such beliefs might operate, is less well understood. Moreover, there is some evidence that negative aspects of religiosity are associated with poor mental health outcomes. Guided by lived experien

Religion, contraception, and method choice of married women in Ghana.

Using pooled data from the 1998 and 2003 Demographic and Health Surveys, this paper investigates the association between religion and contraceptive behavior of married women in Ghana. Guided by the particularized theology and characteristics hypotheses, multinomial logit and complementary log-log models are used to explore denominational differences in contraceptive adoption among currently married women and assess whether the differences could be explained through other characteristics. We found that while there were no differences between women of different Christian faiths, non-Christian women (Muslim and Traditional) were significantly more likely to have never used contraception compared with Christian women. Similar observations were made on current use of contraception, although the differences were greatly reduced in the multivariate models.

matched on Spirituality (mesh)

Forgive to live: forgiveness, health, and longevity.

This study examined multiple types of forgiveness as predictors of mortality and potential psychosocial, spiritual, and health mechanisms of the effects of forgiveness on longevity. Data from a nationally representative sample of United States adults ages 66 and older assessed forgiveness, health, religiousness/spirituality, and socio-demographics (N = 1,232). God's unconditional forgiveness and conditional forgiveness of others initially emerged as statistically significant predictors of mortality risk. However, only conditional forgiveness of others remained a significant predictor of mortality after controlling for religious, socio-demographic, and health behavior variables. Mediators of the association between conditional forgiveness of others and mortality were examined, and a statistically significant indirect effect was identified involving physical health. These findings suggest …

matched on Spirituality (mesh)

Addressing spirituality within the care of patients at the end of life: perspectives of patients with advanced cancer, oncologists, and oncology nurses.

Purpose: Attention to patients' religious and spiritual needs is included in national guidelines for quality end-of-life care, but little data exist to guide spiritual care. Patients and methods: The Religion and Spirituality in Cancer Care Study is a multi-institution, quantitative-qualitative study of 75 patients with advanced cancer and 339 cancer physicians and nurses. Patients underwent semistructured interviews, and care providers completed a Web-based survey exploring their perspectives on the routine provision of spiritual care by physicians and nurses. Theme extraction was performed following triangulated procedures of interdisciplinary analysis. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression models assessed relationships between participants' characteristics and attitudes toward spiritual care. Results: The majority of patients (77.9%), physicians (71.6%), and nurses (85.1%) believe…

matched on Spirituality (mesh)

An online survey of nurses' perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care.

Aim: This paper presents the preliminary descriptive findings from an online survey commissioned by the Royal College of Nursing to ascertain members' perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care. Background: There is a professional requirement for nurses to achieve competence in the delivery of spiritual care and to assess and meet the spiritual needs of their patients. Recently, the area of spirituality has come under criticism bringing into question the role of the nurse with regard to the provision of spiritual care. Design: A descriptive online survey was conducted with all Royal College of Nursing members to obtain their perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care in an attempt to identify what action they feel is required with regard to this aspect of nursing practice. Method: An online survey consisting of a five-part questionnaire was developed incorporating the Spiritualit…

matched on Spirituality (mesh)

Six-month changes in spirituality and religiousness in alcoholics predict drinking outcomes at nine months.

Objective: Although spiritual change is hypothesized to contribute to recovery from alcohol dependence, few studies have used prospective data to investigate this hypothesis. Prior studies have also been limited to treatment-seeking and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) samples. This study included alcohol-dependent individuals, both in treatment and not, to investigate the effect of spiritual and religious (SR) change on subsequent drinking outcomes, independent of AA involvement. Method: Alcoholics (N = 364) were recruited for a panel study from two abstinence-based treatment centers, a moderation drinking program, and untreated individuals from the local community. Quantitative measures of SR change between baseline and 6 months were used to predict 9-month drinking outcomes, controlling for baseline drinking and AA involvement. Results: Significant 6-month changes in 8 of 12 SR measures were…

matched on Spirituality (mesh)

Older adults' preferences for religion/spirituality in treatment for anxiety and depression.

Objectives: To examine patient preferences for incorporating religion and/or spirituality into therapy for anxiety or depression and examine the relations between patient preferences and religious and spiritual coping styles, beliefs and behaviors. Method: Participants (66 adults, 55 years or older, from earlier studies of cognitive-behavioral therapy for late-life anxiety and/or depression in primary care) completed these measures by telephone or in-person: Geriatric Anxiety Inventory, Client Attitudes Toward Spirituality in Therapy, Patient Interview, Brief Religious Coping, Religious Problem Solving Scale, Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith, and Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness and Spirituality. Spearman's rank-order correlations and ordinal logistic regression examined religious/spiritual variables as predictors of preferences for inclusion of religion or spiritua…

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Attention to inpatients' religious and spiritual concerns: predictors and association with patient satisfaction.

Background: Little is known about how often patients desire and experience discussions with hospital personnel regarding R/S (religion and spirituality) or what effects such discussions have on patient satisfaction. OBJECTIVE, DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: We examined data from the University of Chicago Hospitalist Study, which gathers sociodemographic and clinical information from all consenting general internal medicine patients at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Main measures: Primary outcomes were whether or not patients desired to have their religious or spiritual concerns addressed while hospitalized, whether or not anyone talked to them about religious and spiritual issues, and which member of the health care team spoke with them about these issues. Primary predictors were patients' ratings of their religious attendance, their efforts to carry their religious beliefs over int…

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Health is a spiritual thing: perspectives of health care professionals and female Somali and Bangladeshi women on the health impacts of fasting during Ramadan.

Objective: To explore perspectives of health care professionals and female Somali and Bangladeshi Muslim women on practices related to fasting during Ramadan, the impact of fasting on health and the role of health professionals during Ramadan. Design: A cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted. Two culturally specific focus groups were conducted with six Somali and seven Bangladeshi Muslim women who observed Ramadan and lived in an inner-city neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 health care professionals practicing in this inner-city area (three of whom were Muslim). Data were analysed using thematic qualitative analysis. Results: Both Muslim women and health care professionals recognised the spiritual significance of the Ramadan fast. Muslim participants considered the fast to be beneficial to health overall, whereas healt…

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How parents of children receiving pediatric palliative care use religion, spirituality, or life philosophy in tough times.

Background: How parents of children with life threatening conditions draw upon religion, spirituality, or life philosophy is not empirically well described. Methods: Participants were parents of children who had enrolled in a prospective cohort study on parental decision-making for children receiving pediatric palliative care. Sixty-four (88%) of the 73 parents interviewed were asked an open-ended question on how religion, spirituality, or life philosophy (RSLP) was helpful in difficult times. Responses were coded and thematically organized utilizing qualitative data analysis methods. Any discrepancies amongst coders regarding codes or themes were resolved through discussion that reached consensus. Results: Most parents of children receiving palliative care felt that RSLP was important in helping them deal with tough times, and most parents reported either participation in formal religio…

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Spirituality, distress, depression, anxiety, and quality of life in patients with advanced cancer.

Objective: To study the influence of spiritual well being (Sp WB) on symptoms of distress, depression, and other dimensions of quality of life in advanced cancer patients receiving palliative care. Materials and methods: The study was cross-sectional in nature. Fifty patients with advanced cancer from a hospice were assessed with the following instruments: the visual analog scale for pain (VAP), M.D. Anderson symptom inventory (MDASI), Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), Functional assessment of cancer therapy-Palliative Care (FACT-pal), and Functional assessment of chronic illness therapy-spiritual well-being (FACIT-sp). We studied the correlations between spirituality and other variables on these scales. Results: Depression and anxiety were negatively correlated with spiritual well-being (Sp WB). Sp WB was significantly correlated with fatigue (r = -0.423, P = 0.002), symptom dis…

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The relationships among adaptive behaviors of children with autism, family support, parenting stress, and coping.

Background: As the number of children diagnosed with autism continues to rise, resources must be available to support parents of children with autism and their families. Parents need help as they assess their unique situations, reach out for help in their communities, and work to decrease their stress levels by using appropriate coping strategies that will benefit their entire family. Methods: A descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study was conducted with 75 parents/primary caregivers of children with autism. Using the McCubbin and Patterson model of family behavior, adaptive behaviors of children with autism, family support networks, parenting stress, and parent coping were measured. Findings and conclusions: An association between low adaptive functioning in children with autism and increased parenting stress creates a need for additional family support as parents search for di…

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Sense of presence experiences and meaning-making in bereavement: a qualitative analysis.

This qualitative study aimed to explore the potential role that might be played by the reported experience of "sensing the presence of the deceased" in meaning-making processes in bereavement. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 participants who reported having had such an experience and the transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis. Seven overarching themes were identified, 3 of which were considered central: finding benefit in the continuation of the deceased, finding benefit in the continued relationship, and finding meaning through existential, spiritual, and religious sense-making. While participants found many benefits in what they experienced, finding meaning beyond immediate coping seemed to require the availability of spiritual/religious frameworks that could be adopted or, if available but discrepant, could meaningfully accommodate the experience.

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Voice of the psychonauts: coping, life purpose, and spirituality in psychedelic drug users.

Psychoactive drug use shows great diversity, but due to a disproportionate focus on problematic drug use, predominant nonproblematic drug use remains an understudied phenomenon. Historic and anecdotal evidence shows that natural sources of "psychedelic" drugs (e.g., mescaline and psilocybin) have been used in religious and spiritual settings for centuries, as well as for psychological self-enhancement purposes. Our study assessed a total of 667 psychedelic drug users, other drug users, and drug nonusers by online questionnaires. Coping, life purpose, and spirituality were measured with the Psychological Immune Competence Inventory, the Purpose in Life test, and the Intrinsic Spirituality Scale, respectively. Results indicate that the use of psychedelic drugs with a purpose to enhance self-knowledge is less associated with problems, and correlates positively with coping and spirituality. …

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Factors influencing the general well-being of low-income Korean immigrant elders.

This study explores factors that influence the general well-being (anxiety, depression, positive well-being, self-control, vitality, and general health) of low-income Korean immigrant elders by interviewing 206 older adults living in Los Angeles County and Orange County, California. Ordinary least squares regression results reveal that lack of English proficiency and longer residence in the United States were significant predictors of higher anxiety, higher depression,lower self-control,lower vitality, and lower general health among Korean immigrant elders. Losing a spouse was a significantly negative factor in vitality. Financial problems were significantly associated with lower positive well-being. Social support was a significant factor in lower anxiety, lower depression, higher positive well-being, higher self-control, and higher vitality. Spiritual coping was significantly associate…

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'It's my inner strength': spirituality, religion and HIV in the lives of young African American men who have sex with men.

Young black men who have sex with men account for 48% of 13-29-year-old HIV-positive men who have sex with men in the USA. It is important to develop an effective HIV prevention approach that is grounded in the context of young men's lives. Towards this goal, we conducted 31 interviews with 18-30-year-old men who have sex with men in the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area. This paper examines the roles of religion and spirituality in men who have sex with men's lives, which is central in the lives of many African Americans. Six prominent themes emerged: (1) childhood participation in formal religious institutions, (2) the continued importance of spirituality among men who have sex with men, (3) homophobia and stigmatisation in traditional black churches, (4) tension between being a man who has sex with men and being a Christian, (5) religion and spirituality's impact on men's sense of person…

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The relationship of spiritual concerns to the quality of life of advanced cancer patients: preliminary findings.

Purpose: Religion and/or spirituality (R/S) have increasingly been recognized as key elements in patients' experience of advanced illness. This study examines the relationship of spiritual concerns (SCs) to quality of life (QOL) in patients with advanced cancer. Patients and methods: Patients were recruited between March 3, 2006 and April 14, 2008 as part of a survey-based study of 69 cancer patients receiving palliative radiotherapy. Sixteen SCs were assessed, including 11 items assessing spiritual struggles (e.g., feeling abandoned by God) and 5 items assessing spiritual seeking (e.g., seeking forgiveness, thinking about what gives meaning in life). The relationship of SCs to patient QOL domains was examined using univariable and multivariable regression analysis. Results: Most patients (86%) endorsed one or more SCs, with a median of 4 per patient. Younger age was associated with a gr…

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Spirituality, religiosity, and spiritual pain in advanced cancer patients.

Context: Spirituality, religiosity, and spiritual pain may affect advanced cancer patients' symptom expression, coping strategies, and quality of life. Objectives: To examine the prevalence and intensity of spirituality, religiosity, and spiritual pain, and how spiritual pain was associated with symptom expression, coping, and spiritual quality of life. Methods: We interviewed 100 advanced cancer patients at the M.D. Anderson palliative care outpatient clinic in Houston, TX. Self-rated spirituality, religiosity, and spiritual pain were assessed using numeric rating scales (0=lowest, 10=highest). Patients also completed validated questionnaires assessing symptoms (Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale [ESAS] and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), coping (Brief COPE and Brief R-COPE), the value attributed by the patient to spirituality/religiosity in coping with cancer (Systems of Belief …

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The frequency and correlates of spiritual distress among patients with advanced cancer admitted to an acute palliative care unit.

Limited research is available on the frequency of spiritual distress and its relationship with physical and emotional distress. We reviewed patients admitted to our acute palliative care unit (APCU) and determined the association between patient characteristics, symptom severity using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment scale (ESAS), and spiritual distress as reported by a chaplain on initial visit. In all, 50 (44%) of 113 patients had spiritual distress. In univariate analysis, patients with spiritual distress were more likely to be younger (odds ratio [OR] = 0.96, P = .004), to have pain (OR = 1.2, P = .010) and depression (OR = 1.24, P = .018) compared to those without spiritual distress. Spiritual distress was associated with age (OR = 0.96, P = .012) and depression (OR = 1.27, P = .020) in multivariate analysis. Our findings support regular spiritual assessment as part of the interdisci…

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Mental health, not social support, mediates the forgiveness-alcohol outcome relationship.

Religiousness and spirituality are important to most Americans, and evidence suggests that they may contribute to both addiction and recovery. Forgiveness is a specific dimension of religiousness and spirituality that may enhance recovery, but the mechanism(s) through which it operates is unknown. We hypothesized that higher levels of forgiveness would be associated with higher levels of mental health and social support, which, in turn, would be associated with improved alcohol-related outcomes. Baseline and 6-month longitudinal data from a sample of 149 individuals with alcohol use disorders seeking outpatient substance abuse treatment were analyzed through multiple-mediation statistical techniques. While previous research has shown direct associations among forgiveness, alcohol-related outcomes, mental health, and social support, this study found that the direct associations between fo…

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Personal factors associated with reported benefits of Huntington disease family history or genetic testing.

Aims: A family history of Huntington disease (HD) or receiving results of HD predictive genetic testing can influence individual well-being, family relationships, and social interactions in positive and negative ways. The aim of this study was to examine benefits reported by people with an HD family history or those who have undergone predictive HD testing, as well as the personal variables associated with perceived benefits. Methods: Seventy-four of 433 people completing the International Response of a Sample Population to HD risk (I-RESPOND-HD) survey reported benefits. Knowledge and understanding was perceived as the most common benefit from participants in both groups. The next most frequent perceived benefits from a family history were connecting with others and achieving life meaning and insights. The next most common perceived benefits from genetic testing were life planning and s…

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Existential and supportive care needs among patients with chronic kidney disease.

Context: Living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with spiritual distress and frequently precipitates a search for meaning and hope; yet, very little is known about these patients' spiritual needs. Objectives: To describe the nature, prevalence, and predictors of spiritual and supportive care needs in CKD. Methods: Prospective cohort study of 253 CKD patients who completed a seven-item spiritual and seven-item supportive care needs assessment. Results: Patients reported a mean (standard deviation [SD]) number of 2.9 (2.6) spiritual needs, with 69.1% of patients reporting at least one spiritual need. The mean (SD) number of supportive care needs was 3.5 (2.1), with 91.4% of patients reporting at least one of these needs. Thirty-two percent of the patients had high spiritual needs (defined as reporting ≥5 of the seven needs). Similarly, 37% of the patients reported high suppo…

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Latino Women's Spiritual Beliefs Related to Health.

Purpose: This study employed qualitative research to describe the relationship between spirituality and overall health among a sample of Latino women. A framework is presented for understanding this complex relationship. Design: Findings are presented from a qualitative analysis of six 1.5-hour focus group sessions. Setting: The research was conducted among Latino women living in Chicago, Illinois, and Northeastern New York communities. We employed a community-based participatory research approach in which community members were active participants throughout the research process. Subjects: Subjects were 47 Latino women 31 to 81 years, all of whom were Christian and the majority (43%) of whom had less than a high school education. Twenty-seven percent reported having high school diplomas, and the same percentage reported at least some college. Of the women who answered the questions, one…

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Health-related quality of life and culture.

Objective: To clarify the relationship between quality of life (QOL) and culture. Data source: Journal articles, proceedings, and clinical experience. Conclusion: QOL is a subjective, multidimensional experience of well-being that is culturally constructed as individuals seek safety and security, a sense of integrity and meaning in life, and a sense of belonging in one's social network. Implications for nursing practice: In a society where health disparities between diverse groups are known to exist, it is incumbent upon nurses to consider the impact of ethnicity/culture on the health care they deliver and on the QOL of their patients.

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Spiritual diversity: multifaith perspectives in family therapy.

This paper addresses the growing diversity and complexity of spirituality in society and within families. This requires a broadly inclusive, multifaith approach in clinical training and practice. Increasingly, individuals, couples, and families seek, combine, and reshape spiritual beliefs and practices--within and among faiths and outside organized religion--to fit their lives and relationships. With rising faith conversion and interfaith marriages, the paper examines challenges in multifaith families, particularly with marriage, childrearing, and the death of a loved one. Clinical guidelines, cautions, and case examples are offered to explore the role and significance of spiritual beliefs and practices in couple and family relationships; to identify spiritual sources of distress and relational conflict; and to draw potential spiritual resources for healing, well-being, and resilience, f…

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Self-blame, self-forgiveness, and spirituality in breast cancer survivors in a public sector setting.

Cognitive appraisal affects adjustment to breast cancer. A self-forgiving attitude and spirituality may benefit breast cancer survivors who blame themselves for their cancer. One hundred and eight women with early breast cancers completed questionnaires assessing self-blame, self-forgiveness, spirituality, mood and quality of life (QoL) in an outpatient breast clinic. Women who blamed themselves reported more mood disturbance (p < 0.01) and poorer QoL (p < 0.01). Women who were more self-forgiving and more spiritual reported less mood disturbance and better QoL (p's < 0.01). Interventions that reduce self-blame and facilitate self-forgiveness and spirituality could promote better adjustment to breast cancer.

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