Critical Elements of Spirituality as Identified by Adolescent Mental Health Clients

Background. Client spirituality has been recognized as a central component of Canadian occupational therapy, but little research has been conducted in this area. Purpose. This exploratory study attempted to gain insight into the relevant elements of spirituality and its importance to inpatient adole...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of occupational therapy (1939) 2006-12, Vol.73 (5), p.295-302
Main Authors: MacGillivray, Patrick S., Sumsion, Thelma, Wicks-Nicholls, Joy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescent Development
Adolescents
Child & adolescent mental health
Clients
Definitions
Developmental Stages
Female
Focus Groups
Humans
Inpatients
Male
Mental Disorders - rehabilitation
Mental Health
Mental health care
Occupational therapy
Occupational Therapy - methods
Ontario
Psychiatric Services
Questionnaires
Religious Factors
Resistance (Psychology)
Social Attitudes
Spiritual Development
Spirituality
Surveys and Questionnaires
Teenagers
Therapy
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Summary:Background. Client spirituality has been recognized as a central component of Canadian occupational therapy, but little research has been conducted in this area. Purpose. This exploratory study attempted to gain insight into the relevant elements of spirituality and its importance to inpatient adolescent mental health clients. Method. An adolescent spirituality questionnaire was developed from definitions of spirituality in the literature, modified by a focus group consisting of members of the target population, and administered to 11 respondents. Results. Elements related to the individual and lifelong pursuits of the individual were most closely associated with spirituality while those items traditionally connected with spirituality and with external pursuits, activities, and relationships are considered less relevant by this population. Results suggest that spirituality is important to a majority of inpatient adolescent mental health clients. Practice Implications. It is suggested that more studies drawing information on spirituality directly from specific client populations are essential for the occupational therapy community to improve its comprehension of, and to better its ability to address in practice, the critical area of client spirituality.
ISSN:0008-4174
1911-9828
DOI:10.2182/cjot.06.006