Conversations With God: Prayer and Bargaining in Adjustment to Disability

The role of religiosity and spirituality in the process of adjustment to disability is of increasing interest to rehabilitation professionals. Beginning with the Kubler-Ross models of grief and adjustment to disability and terminal illness, a number of stage models have included spiritual and religi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Rehabilitation counseling bulletin 2013-07, Vol.56 (4), p.215-228
Main Authors: Rodriguez, Valerie J., Glover-Graf, Noreen M., Blanco, E. Lisette
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adjustment (to Environment)
Coping
Disabilities
Disability
Educational Attainment
Employment Level
Gender Differences
God
Grief
Income
Marital Status
Mixed Methods Research
Online Surveys
Prayer
Racial Differences
Rehabilitation
Religion
Religious Factors
Spiritual Development
Spirituality
United States (Southwest)
Vocational Rehabilitation
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Summary:The role of religiosity and spirituality in the process of adjustment to disability is of increasing interest to rehabilitation professionals. Beginning with the Kubler-Ross models of grief and adjustment to disability and terminal illness, a number of stage models have included spiritual and religious interactions as a part of the adjustment process. These models, and even more recent models, point to a stage of bargaining with God for improvement or a cure through contingent prayerful interactions. However, little empirical evidence exists to support this stage as a part of adjustment to disability. Eighty-one current and previous consumers of state–federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) services in a southwestern state participated in an online survey to examine prayer content and explore the extent of bargaining with God. Research findings revealed that although prayer requests related to disability are frequent, bargaining is not applicable to many individuals with acquired disabilities. Quantitative and qualitative analysis revealed significant findings relevant to practitioners, researchers, and educators within the field of VR.
ISSN:0034-3552
1538-4853
DOI:10.1177/0034355213477477