A Longitudinal Study Demonstrating the Influence of Chaplaincy Services, Religiosity, and Spirituality on Health Outcomes of Individuals with Chronic Disabilities in a US Sample.

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.