Integrating Spirituality and Mental Health: Perspectives of Adults Receiving Public Mental Health Services in California

• Published in: Psychology of religion and spirituality 2020-08, Vol.12 (3), p.276-287
• Main Authors: Yamada, Ann-Marie, Lukoff, David, Lim, Caroline S. F., Mancuso, Laura L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attitudes; Campaigns; Community mental health services; Consumers; Cultural Competence; Health behavior; Health care expenditures; Health promotion; Health services; Human; Initiative; Integrated care; Meditation; Mental Health; Mental health care; Mental Health Services; Prayer; Public health; Public Mental Health; Recovery (Disorders); Religiosity; Religious beliefs; Religious communities; Religious participation; Religious Practices; Sacredness; Self help; Spirituality
• ISSN: 1941-1022; 1943-1562
• DOI: 10.1037/rel0000260

The California Mental Health & Spirituality Initiative in 2009 developed and executed a survey-based campaign to document the spirituality-related needs, preferences, and experiences of individuals and families receiving public mental health services. Through secondary analysis of the data collected in this grassroots initiative, the purpose of this study was to describe the attitudes of individuals receiving mental health services in California regarding spirituality and to identify significant predictors of the degree of interest in integrating spirituality into mental health care. Descriptive analyses found that more than 80% of the 2,050 participants agreed or strongly agreed that spirituality was important to their mental health. Further, consumers indicated that they found the following spiritual practices helpful to their mental health: prayer (73%), meditation (47%), attending religious services (40%), spending time in nature (41%), and reading sacred texts or spiritual self-help books (36%). A multiple regression model was conducted to identify predictors of interest in integrating spirituality into mental health care. Attitudes toward spirituality (i.e., ratings of the importance of spirituality) and perceived spiritual respect by providers were the strongest predictors of interest in integrating spirituality into mental health services. We highlight the importance of providing spiritually integrated services to individuals who value spiritual practices or participate in faith communities because the findings in this study suggest that mental health service recipients who already find spiritual practices to be helpful are particularly receptive to integration of their spirituality into recovery and wellness programs.