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Objective: To investigate how religion influences care pathways for black and minority ethnic individuals with dementia. We conducted a systematic search of the literature to explore how religion affects later presentation to care services, absence of care-seeking and dissatisfaction with care. Exclusion and Inclusion criteria were applied to the research literature. Qualitative and quantitative papers were included. Included studies were assessed independently by four authors according to quality criteria. Two US studies adhered to the final screening stage. Findings from these papers postulated that religion influences care in two polarised ways: (1) Religion hinders access to the traditional health care pathway. (2) Religion assists in positive coping. Collaboration between religious institutions and health care providers is required to improve care referral, provide information dissemination and relieve care-giver burden. UK research in this area is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion that you don't have to go to church to be a good Christian is accepted as an indicator of the form of implicit religiosity espoused by those who (in Bailey's analysis) say that they “believe in Christianity.” The present paper builds on the findings of a recently published survey of rural Anglican churchgoers celebrating harvest which suggested that de-institutionalised implicit religion may be superseding commitment to conventional explicit religious attendance. The responses of 1081 people who attended Christmas carol services in two English cathedrals in 2009 and 2010 are analysed. The findings of the previous paper that implicit religiosity is more prevalent among younger people and among those who attend church less frequently are replicated. Evidence is also found that women are more inclined to this view than men and that those who have a loose historical connection through baptism are more likely to endorse it than those with either no historical connections or stronger ones. Suggestions are made for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines conversion from "Hinduism" to Christianity in India and in the UK. To date work in this area has focused upon Hindu–Christian conversion among Hindus in India largely focusing upon Dalits. It explores the experience of Hindu Christian conversion through five case studies and focuses upon antecedents and consequences of conversion. It stresses the central role of profound religious experiences in those converting and the resultant disharmony among families and the wider Hindu community. While structural factors may be important for some of these individuals, all have undergone a form of metaphysical and intellectual conversion. The conversion narratives cited suggest that conversion experiences are beneficial psychologically in terms of providing a new sense of meaning, facilitating coping and increasing contentment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about cultural variation in perceptions about the age when youngsters should be regarded as competent to make decisions. This is of particular importance as research has shown the significant effect of parental influence on their children’s decision-making. A public survey of 400 adults from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds in the UK and Spain was carried out. Their attitudes regarding adolescents’ ability with regard to common areas of decision-making were assessed using case vignettes including discontinuing family traditions and religious practice. It was found that White British adults agreed for younger adolescents to make decisions about themselves compared with the other ethnic groups. High religious practice was associated with later age to make decisions. The paper argues that there is socio-cultural variation in adults’ attitudes regarding the age when youngsters should make decisions about themselves and for the need of professionals to take this into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has demonstrated that all 16 psychological types are preparing for or engaged in the exercise of Christian ministry. Drawing on Jungian psychological-type theory, this paper suggests that each of the 16 types may approach ministry in ways that reflect both the unique strengths and the unique weaknesses of that type. The thesis is tested by developing a detailed analysis of the ministry profile associated with one of the 16 types, the INTJ minister. On the basis of this analysis of one specific type, the paper recommends the value and wisdom of examining the other 15 types in a similar manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is now good evidence that some religious ideas and perspectives have an influence on their adherents’ ability to cope with life stresses. However, there have been few attempts to explain this effect by recourse to experimentally-tested models of human cognition. In the present paper, the author argues that this shortfall both limits the usefulness of statistically-based studies and impedes the acceptance of religious or spiritual care as part of healthcare practice. A model based on that developed by cognitive psychologists of religion is subjected to initial, inductive testing in terms of its ability to explain some of the essential features and counter-intuitive results from the research literature on religious coping. The author concludes that, in the particular context represented by an individual in hospital, the model has significant explanatory potential and clarifies some recurring themes in the literature on coping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alister Hardy’s initiative in starting a programme of empirical research into religious experience in the UK employing the methods of the social sciences continues through the work of the Religious Experience Research Centres. John Greer initiated a similar research tradition through his questionnaire surveys of the incidence and nature of religious experience among children and young people in Northern Ireland. Leslie Francis and Tania ap Siôn replicated Greer’s classic surveys, with ap Siôn extending Greer’s analysis into nine categories of religious experience (Guidance and help, Exam concerns, God’s presence, Answered prayer, Death, Sickness, Conversion, Difficulty of description, and Miscellaneous), while also noting their setting and frequency. This paper develops the Greer tradition further, drawing on more recent data from pupils in the Republic of Ireland, and arguing for a modified analytical process in order to provide a more nuanced understanding of reports of religious experience. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Flourishing is a growing topic in positive psychology, and the positive influences of flourishing have been well documented. Although recent literature has shown that religion has an impact on one's physical and psychological well-being in positive ways, the relationship between religiosity and flourishing has surprisingly not been studied. The present study aimed to explore the relationship of religious faith with flourishing and psychological distress. An online survey has successfully recruited 267 participants from UK and Taiwan. The survey used standardised inventories including the PERMA Profiler, the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire, and the Clinical Outcome in Routine Evaluation to measure flourishing, religious faith and psychological distress respectively. Results show that participants with strong religious faith do have higher levels of flourishing. Yet Path Analysis shows that participants who have stronger religious faith is indirectly related to lower psychological distress through the mediating effect of flourishing. Suggestions for future research and implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous literature confirms that older black minority ethnic populations are less likely than white populations to contact dementia services in the UK. However, it is unknown whether this is due to a higher or lower prevalence of dementia or due to different needs or coping strategies within these communities. The aim of this study was to explore the understanding and perceptions of dementia amongst Sikhs living in the UK. Six focus groups were involved with 28 Sikh participants who were recruited from Gurdware (Sikh places of worship). Data were analysed using constant comparative methodology. The themes reported in this paper include “awareness and interpretation of the characteristics of dementia”, “multiple perspectives of the same symptoms” and “causes of dementia”. The findings have been discussed in the context of existing research and provide an introductory insight into informing culturally appropriate interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the role of Islamic scholars as non-statutory providers of support for individuals with issues of psychological distress and wellbeing. A qualitative phenomenological analysis of the experiences of six Imams (Islamic religious officials) who saw this type of support as being part of their role is presented. Four themes were identified: “Building a personal relationship with the ultimate authority”; “Treating the whole person”; “God's medicine” and “Duty bound to help”. Clinical implications for the current and potential relationship between this type of support and mental health and psychological services are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the occurrence of somatic involvement in spiritual development by exploring transpersonal dimensions of physical illness. Using semi-structured interviews and the qualitative method of heuristic inquiry, the transpersonal experiences of seven people with long-term health conditions are reported. Results expand on current literature by revealing that a spiritual perspective in illness can extend much beyond being a coping mechanism into profound experiences of self-transformation and healing, and by illustrating that the body can be intimately involved in the spiritual process. Participants considered the transpersonal dimension to be central to their experiences and as such understood their physical challenge as a state of potency wherein healing and embodiment of transpersonal influences were inextricably linked. Implications are that the body merits our acknowledgement as an integral part of a greater reality of being, and therefore needs to be fully included in the development of an embodied, holistic, and participatory spirituality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SIFT method of preaching argues that preachers should attend to the different learning styles implied by psychological type theory when preparing and delivering sermons. The evidence to date that supports the theory behind the method has mainly been based on offering readers of known psychological type a range of interpretations specifically created to appeal to particular type preferences. This paper extends these studies by looking at how a more general interpretative strategy (literalism) is related to psychological type preferences. A sample of 1039 recently ordained Anglican clergy in the UK completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales and a 10-item Biblical Literalism Scale. There was a positive association between a preference for sensing and biblical literalism, after controlling for general biblical conservatism and church tradition. The implications for preachers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pauline letters have become categorised into two groups: those seven which are generally considered to be genuine and another six over which there remains controversy. This paper aims, firstly, to use personality typing techniques to test the homogeneity of the genuine letters and reveal the full personality of Paul. Then, secondly, it aims to analyse each individual letter in the second group in order to classify the authors. It has identified a reasonable consistency in the genuine letters and has shown Paul to be an ESTJ. This explains his strengths (zeal, teaching, shepherding), needs (control and clarity of role) and Achilles heel (criticism). The study of the remaining letters has revealed three authors: Deutero-Paul who, as an INFP, was eminently suited to continue and expand Paul's writings to produce both Colossians and Ephesians, Trito-Paul, another ESTJ, who wrote 2 Thessalonians and Tetarto-Paul, an ISTJ, who wrote the Pastorals. All three, like Proto-Paul himself, strove to keep their churches “on track”. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A perennial theme in the literature of religion and mental health is the need for dialogue between psychiatry and faith-based organisations in the care of people with mental health problems. These worlds are often depicted as oppositional and antagonistic; at times the boundaries are so tightly drawn that it is hard to see where they might share values and concerns. This paper examines the interface areas of religion and mental health care in order to consider where consensus and from where collaboration might emerge. We suggest that while certainly there is a need for dialogue and mutual understanding, there is also a need for psychiatry and faith groups to explore the nature and boundaries of proposed relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Asians make up about 5% of the UK population. Their rates for mental illness and suicide have been shown by some researchers to be rather lower than that of the total UK population, using a variety of measures, and considering many psychiatric conditions. This paper reviews the literature on the extent of mental illness among British South Asian adults, and explores aspects of their service use, and their attitudes to mental illness. Some distinguishing features of British South Asian mental health are identified, including areas justifying further research. Variations in the South Asian population including generation, country of origin, religion, class, wealth and geography, emphasise the growing need to disaggregate this population when presenting data about them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes and discusses the development and empirical properties of two new 24-item scales - one measuring attitude towards Buddhism and the other measuring attitude towards Sikhism. The scale is designed to facilitate inter-faith comparisons within the psychology of religion alongside the well-established Francis Scale of Attitude towards Christianity. Data were obtained from a multi-religious sample of 369 school pupils aged between 13 and 15 in London. Application of the two scales demonstrated that adolescents had a more positive attitude to Buddhism than Sikhism. The findings confirm the reliability of the scales and commend them for further use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poole and Higgo's strongly worded opinion piece deserves a thoughtful response. This paper presents some background to the formation and activities of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group, together with opinions of the author based on the idea that a new holistic or 'psycho-spiritual' paradigm has been under development since the 1980s, extending beyond psychology and psychiatry into the workplace and elsewhere. The new paradigm acknowledges that faith development continues throughout life, and explains why at some stages people find change particularly challenging. A drive to conform is opposed by a drive to be independent. The author concludes that it is important to discuss spirituality with people (including patients). It is also right to seek both scientific knowledge and spiritual wisdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a determined campaign to make exploration of patients' spiritual experience an intrinsic and necessary part of routine psychiatric care. This has support from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, though there has been no consultation with psychiatrists. Whilst many of the proposals are uncontroversial, some involve serious breaches of normal professional boundaries of behaviour as set out in General Medical Council guidance. The contentious proposals are that a spiritual history should be taken from all patients, even where they resist; that it is sometimes acceptable to pray with patients; and that clinicians should support 'healthy' religious beliefs and challenge 'unhealthy' ones. The proposals are based on a model of universal spirituality which, we argue, is culture bound and lacks neutrality. This paper explores these issues and the consequences that might flow from altering professional boundaries in psychiatry. We conclude that the changes are unnecessary and should be resisted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Not so long ago Western society assumed that its citizens would get progressively richer and more leisured, and that inequality would not matter. There was also an assumption that health and social care services would simultaneously become more technically proficient and more concerned with a person's dignity and their individual needs. This paper considers this theme, looks at the current state of health and social care and the need to bring a sense of the spiritual back to revivify the service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological type profiles and temperaments were assessed among 232 male and 51 female ministers linked to the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB) and compared with previously published samples from the general UK population and the Church of England. Compared with the general population, Baptist ministers showed greater propensity for introversion, intuition, and judging. Male ministers showed greater propensity for feeling than the general population, but there was no difference among the women. Compared with Anglican clergy, Baptist ministers showed similar preferences for orientation and judging, but greater propensity towards sensing over intuition and judging over perceiving. The most frequent temperament was Epimethean (SJ), followed by Apollinarian (NF) among women and Promethean (NT) among men. The most frequent psychological types were ISTJ, ISFJ, and INFP. The implications for the type of leadership and pastoral care offered by these ministers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study sets the psychological type profile and temperament of 190 Catholic priests serving in England, Wales, and Ireland alongside the profile of 1,298 Catholic priests reported by Ruppart in 1985. In the current study 68% of priests preferred introversion, 61% preferred sensing, 53% preferred feeling, and 84% preferred judging, confirming the findings of other recent studies of Catholic priests in Australia and Italy of a trend towards introversion, sensing, and judging, and away from feeling. In the current study 55% presented as Epimethean Temperament (SJ) and 21% as Apollonian Temperament (NF), also confirming other recent studies that report a move toward the SJ temperament and away from the NF temperament. The implications of these findings are discussed for the expression and experience of ministry within the Catholic Church. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clergy have an emotionally taxing role and are suggested to experience high rates of distress. Prior research suggests clergy utilise religious coping skills and may underutilise support. This study aimed to explore clergy experiences of role-demands, coping, and support, to supplement previous findings, and guide intervention. Nine clergy members participated in semi-structured interviews; data was analysed using inductive-deductive Thematic Analysis. Three major themes emerged from the data; 'the sacrifice you make', 'help along the way', and 'change that's needed'. Clergy-members' most prevalent and salient reported coping strategy revolved around a stable relationship with God. Clergy discussed barriers to support within, and outside of, the church. Clergies' experiences of challenging demands and distress support previous findings. Clergy preference for religious coping suggest future research, or intervention, should account for spirituality. Finally, clergy-members' varied experiences of support suggest practical/cultural changes within the church could reduce barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on three sets of data provided by 338 Anglican clergy serving in the Church in Wales, 484 Presbyterian clergy serving in the Church of Scotland, and 422 Salvation Army Officers serving in the UK, this study reports the development of a 10-item instrument designed to provide independent measures of preference for morning activity (the Lark preference) and preference for evening activity (the Owl preference) appropriate for use among clergy. The thesis is then tested that these preferences predict individual differences in clergy work-related psychological health, as assessed by the Francis Burnout Inventory, after taking into account the effects of personal factors (sex and age) and personality factors (extraversion and neuroticism). The data demonstrated that clergy who displayed the Lark preference were less likely to suffer from emotional exhaustion, suggesting a clear and consistent linkage between preferences for mornings and lower vulnerability to burnout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines differences between Christians, Muslims and non-religious people in COVID-19-related fear, social isolation, and compulsive buying. A sample of 411 participants in the United Kingdom completed a survey consisting of measures of political trust, social isolation, compulsive buying behaviours, fear of COVID-19 and their preferred source of information regarding COVID-19. Christians reported a stronger social network, more political trust but more fear of COVID-19 than non-religious people, and Muslims reported more fear of COVID-19 and more compulsive buying than non-religious people. Non-religious people accessed more varied sources of information regarding COVID-19 than Christians and Muslims. Finally, source of information regarding COVID-19 affected levels of political trust, fear of COVID-19, social isolation and compulsive buying behaviours. Religious groups exhibit varying levels of fear, social isolation and compulsive buying. Public health messaging and awareness-raising campaigns tailored to particular religious groups may be effective in reducing the psychological burden of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forgiveness is a universal construct. A forgiveness measure should ensure good and diverse cultural representation and inclusivity in its development, validation and usage. The 15-item Bolton Forgiveness Scale (BFS) assesses dispositional forgiveness. Items came from interviews with 53 Nigerian and British people, existing scales and the research literature. Exploratory factor analysis with a student sample (n = 733) was followed by confirmatory factor analysis with a general sample (n = 2,017). This indicated a robust three-factor structure. Factors were, coming to terms and letting go (CLTG), developing positive feelings (DPF) and giving benefit of the doubt (GBD). Scale Validity was established and a new forgiveness definition emerged as a process that involves developing and strengthening the capacity to give benefit of the doubt that enables the offended come to terms with and let go of hurt with its negative affect thereby giving way gradually to positive feelings towards the transgressor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multidisciplinary guideline on religion, spirituality (R/S), and psychiatry aims to address: (1) organising R/S consultation in mental health care, (2) categorising research findings, and (3) professionalism and education with respect to R/S. Contents are derived from brainstorm sessions with key participants in the field of R/S and psychiatry in the Netherlands, and from the position statements on R/S and psychiatry in the UK and by the World Psychiatric Association. The following chapters are proposed: (1) ethical and existential themes and R/S, (2) R/S in stages of mental health care practice, (3) R/S counselling, (4) collaboration, and (5) relationship to other guidelines. The core themes need verification by specialists in the field, nurses, therapists, counsellors, patient-practitioners, and psychiatrists. The author recommends to approach R/S in an easy way, to listen to matters of personal meaning, and to leave the task to others in case of a lack of affinity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A quantitative study explored the relationship for teen Buddhists in Britain between the frequency of personal religious practice (PRP), affective religiosity (as measured by Thanissaro’s 24-item Scale of Attitude to Buddhism), individual differences in attitudes and Psychological Type (as measured by the Francis Psychological Type Scales). Those with frequent PRP (18% practising daily and 54% monthly) were more likely to want their children to grow up Buddhist and felt school was helping them prepare for life. Only daily PRP was associated with Buddhist worldview whereas less frequent PRP was associated with collectivist and traditionalist attitudes. Daily PRP was found to be positively linked with affective religiosity for heritage Buddhists, males, females and 17-to-20-year-olds, but linked with diminished affective religiosity for convert Buddhists. Daily PRP was associated with a Sensing preference in terms of Psychological Type, rather than psychoticism predicted by some previous meditation research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The diversity in patient populations due to immigration in the UK has implications for adequate understanding of a patients’ culture by the clinician as well as patient–clinician cultural matching for enhanced service use and outcome. This qualitative study investigated how Nigerian clergy and health professionals perceived health-seeking behaviours among Nigerians in the UK, while considering the impact of their own beliefs and values as care providers. Six participants were interviewed (clergy,n = 2; health professionals,n = 4). Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results showed that the clergy and health professionals themselves use religious/cultural cure and formal healthcare methods, and believed Nigerian immigrants as predominantly using religious/cultural methods which can affect healthcare utilisation, although differences between the professionals were reported. The potentials for integrating other cure methods into the formal healthcare services were considered, while highlighting the challenges that may arise from such collaborative effort. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Astley–Francis Scale of Attitude toward Theistic Faith was designed to access the attitudinal dimension of religion across the major theistic faith traditions. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Astley–Francis Scale of Attitude toward Theistic Faith among a sample of 10,678 13- to 15-year-old students from across the UK, exploring the performance of the scale independently among three groups: religiously unaffiliated students (N = 3711), Christian students (N = 6649), and Muslim students (N = 318). The data support the internal consistency reliability and the construct validity of this instrument among all three groups and commend it for application in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In January 2015, media outlets reported a series of attacks by Islamic terror groups in France, instigated at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo publication. Previous research has indicated that the consequence of exposure to terrorist attacks can extend beyond the immediate victims, with a potentially international reach. This secondary data analysis compares the perceptions of discrimination, religiosity, and religious engagement of 240 Muslim women in the UK, recruited before and after the Charlie Hebdo attacks. The results indicate greater religious engagement and perceptions of discrimination among those women recruited after the attacks. This suggests that the impact of such events may reach beyond the immediate victims, and societies need to develop and provide support in response to such attacks, regardless of the geographical location of the event. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Experiences of demonic possession are on the increase in the UK. The presentation of possession appears strikingly similar to psychopathologies. Yet while the DSM-V includes the importance of interpreting psychotic phenomena in relation to the cultural practices of the individual presenting, there remains a lack of experiential accounts of possession. This study provides a phenomenological account of 17 individuals participating in a Pentecostal deliverance ceremony and their descriptions of discerning demon possession, undergoing exorcism/deliverance, and their condition immediately following. There was strong convergence on the discernment of demon possession through nightmares, in the thematic context of the dreams and the mapping of the content to adversity in their lives, which in turn reinforces the discernment. These experiential accounts were also characterised by a loss of control during possession and accompanied by a lack of amnesia post-deliverance. These accounts are discussed in relation to the disentangling of spiritual experience and psychopathologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the relationships between exposure to terrorism news and state social paranoia, death anxiety and Islamophobia. In two experiments we show that, contrary to previous research in this area, the terrorism news condition did not significantly increase state social paranoia, death anxiety and prejudice towards Muslims, but that paranoid thinking was the sole predictor of Islamophobia. Trait paranoia is associated with both poor well-being and with negative perceptions of Muslim competitive players – a form of inter-relational prejudice. Results indicated that the frequency of paranoid thoughts mediates the relationship between death anxiety and anti-Muslim prejudice and trait paranoia is the main predictor of the negative perceptions of a Muslim competing player. This study elucidates new pathways to understanding terror management theory, by including paranoia as a type of thinking that predisposes individuals to be suspicious of salient out-groups. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Despite widespread scepticism, it has been estimated that around 10% of the UK adult population regularly visit a medium and television programmes showing mediumship demonstrations draw in millions of viewers. While many assume mediumship to be purely for entertainment, an alternative discourse presents it as being a service offered to comfort and support the bereaved. In this qualitative study, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with nine working mediums and examined with an interpretative phenomenological analysis which aims to understand the lived experiences of participants. Three key superordinate themes emerged, Responsibility and Ethics, Passion to Help and Therapeutic Value. These themes are discussed in terms of mediums’ perception of their work as a helping profession and an ethical framework which illustrates awareness of the vulnerability of sitters. We also consider whether mediums may be equipped to deal with sitters experiencing complicated grief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing recognition that cultivating compassion for oneself and others can act as an antidote to feelings of threat, shame, humiliation and paranoia. This study aimed to explore the further development of a narrative-based measure of compassion. We hypothesised that greater compassion would be associated with lower levels of positive symptoms, negative symptoms, cognitive disorganisation, excitement and emotional distress. Participants were 29 individuals with psychosis. Greater narrative compassion was associated with less negative symptoms, less cognitive disorganisation and less excitement. We found no correlations between narrative compassion and the Self-Compassion Scale. Notwithstanding the methodological problems of our study, our findings have important implications for developing an attachment-based understanding of compassion and the use of compassion to support recovery from complex mental health problems such as psychosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout different civilisations and historical epochs, anthropological and religious texts have been replete with accounts of persons who have reported anomalous experiences in the form of visions or voices. In these contexts, such experiences are considered to be a “gift” that can be spiritually enriching or life enhancing. One such group of individuals are mediums who claim to receive information from spirits of the deceased in the form of auditory or visual perceptions. This study explores how mediums come to interpret their experiences as mediumistic and how they describe their relationship with spirit voices. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 Spiritualist mediums using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three themes were identified: “Childhood anomalous experiences”, “A search for meaning: Normalisation of mediumship”, and “relationship with spirit”. These themes illuminated aspects of the mediumistic experience that have therapeutic implications for individuals who have similar experiences but become distressed by them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research literature has highlighted unusual phenomena occurring at the end of life. Palliative-care professionals often feel ill-prepared in managing these and in talking to patients and family members about them. This study aimed to explore the meanings and interpretations ascribed to these phenomena by palliative-care professionals. Eight participants were interviewed, and interpretative phenomenological analysis used to identify themes within their accounts. Four themes emerged from the analysis: (1) Who are we to say what's out there?: a connection with something beyond what can be seen; (2) It opened up conversations: the experience of talking about unusual experiences; (3) It knocked me sideways: managing the emotional impact of these experiences; and (4) The fact that she was so accepting made it easier: the value of acceptance in relation to unusual experiences. These findings are discussed within the context of existing literature and implications for palliative-care professionals are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pizarro and Salovey hypothesise that religious systems are frequently “inherently emotionally intelligent” and that religious leaders may be experts in emotional regulation due to the inherent demands of their role. Despite such assertions, to date there appears to be little exploration of Emotional Intelligence (EI) amongst religious populations. Thus, suggesting that statements such as this may be based on supposition, speculation and stereotypes rather than grounded in sound empirical evidence. In an attempt to explore EI amongst religious systems, this study examined levels of EI amongst 226 Irish clergy. Participants completed the EI Scale. Results revealed that clergy levels of EI were lower than expected and below other diverse populations previously assessed using the same instrument. The emergence of such knowledge regarding clergy EI begins to suggest that religious systems may indeed not be conclaves of emotional abilities as previously assumed. Given the relevance and the potential value of employing EI abilities within the ministry, this result is both surprising and disconcerting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Asians are at a greater risk of developing dementia due to having a higher incidence of diabetes than the UK population as a whole. Despite this they seem under-represented in service use for dementia. This review aimed to provide an overview of research on the perceptions of dementia in the South Asian community and the role of culture, religion and spirituality in these conceptualisations. Following a systematic literature search, five articles were reviewed and analysed thematically. Six themes were identified; South Asians' knowledge of general mental illness and aging; the nature of dementia and its symptoms, beliefs about the causes of dementia; community perceptions regarding dementia; treatment for dementia as well as how service provision could be improved. In this under-researched area, the available evidence highlights that South Asians understanding of dementia is likely to be implicated in the low uptake of services. Future research is identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines whether and to what extent creativity and spirituality are used in coping in a cross-cultural and cross-denominational student sample of 610 participants. Two new theory-based instruments, displaying good internal consistency and satisfactory levels of content-, and construct validity, are introduced, the Creative Coping Scale-19 (CCS-19), and the Spiritual Coping Scale-30 (SCS-30). A positive, moderate relationship between creative and spiritual coping emerged, thus supporting thetheory of transformative coping. The findings demonstrated that participants applied both creative and spiritual coping in their lives in order to deal with acute and chronic stress. Associations between creative and spiritual coping and demographic variables were outlined. Practical applications for the promotion of mental health were discussed. Future research should seek to replicate and extend the present findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the field of the psychology of prayer, there has been a growing interest in empirical studies concerned with the analysis of the content of ordinary people's private prayers, with a view to providing a more nuanced understanding of the psychological correlates of prayer among those who engage in the activity. One research tradition has focused on the content analysis of intercessory prayer requests left in church-related settings, and it is within this context that the present study is located, examining 417 intercessory prayer requests, collected on the streets by bishops in the Church of England as part of the 2011 “Say One for Me” Lent Prayer initiative. The study was informed by the constructs of implicit religion and ordinary theology, and employed ap Siôn's general analytical framework for intercessory prayer requests. Three types of implicit religion were found to be present in the prayer content: societal consensus, the source of explicit religion, and the effect of explicit religion, and the significance of these results is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study links two fields of empirical research. The first field (grounded in empirical theology) is concerned with ordinary prayer and that aspect of implicit religion discernable within explicit religious expressions. The second field (grounded in the psychology of religion) is concerned with private prayer as a significant method of coping in health-related contexts. Few previous studies, however, have focussed on the specific components comprising the content of such prayers and their concern for health issues relating to others, such as family and friends. The present study addresses this gap by employing the analytical framework for health and well-being devised previously in a content analysis of 583 prayers left in the chapel of a children's hospital in England. The conceptual and practical applications of the new research findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his analysis of the construct “implicit religion” Edward Bailey speaks of those individuals “who believe in Christianity” but who do not display the behaviours of explicit religion, like church attendance. A recent research tradition has tried to operationalise this understanding of implicit religion by studying those who believe that they can be a Christian without going to church. A longer established research tradition has demonstrated the association between explicit religiosity and an enhanced sense of purpose in life. The aim of the present study is to test the hypothesis that implicit religiosity (in the sense of believing that you can be a Christian without going to church) is also associated with an enhanced sense of purpose in life. Data provided by a sample of 25,825 13- to 15-year-old adolescents support this hypothesis. In turn these findings support the notion that implicit religion (in the sense operationalised by this study) fulfils some functions similar to those fulfilled by explicit religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Britain is increasingly multicultural, with greater potential for mixing between individuals of differing religions. While both religion and romantic partnerships offer benefits for psychological well-being, religious heterogeneity in a relationship may be detrimental. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of interfaith partnerships using the UK Household Longitudinal Study, and explore impact on well-being. Over one-fifth of individuals were in heterogeneous relationships, this was associated with greater psychological distress. The results suggest a need for further research into the mechanisms by which religious mixing in relationships impacts upon health in order to best support an increasingly religiously diverse Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have reported that bereaved people often continue to sense the presence of the deceased. A particular collection of such experiences can be identified as instilling a perception that the deceased person is in some manner present in the company of the bereaved person. The aim of the current review was to synthesise the results on this topic to provide a comprehensive over-view for practitioners working with bereaved people who report these experiences. The studies were reviewed in terms of the nature of the experiences described, the provision of explanatory models to understand the significance of these experiences, describing any culturally specific aspects of these experiences, discussion of the personal impact of having the experiences, and for recommendations of how people who have these experiences can be supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological-type profiles of Anglican clergy and of Anglican congregations routinely direct attention to the over-representation of feeling types, and to the consequent under-representation of thinking types. The present study of 164 men and 239 women who completed the Francis Psychological-Types Scales in the context of a cathedral carol service found a higher proportion of thinking types in this congregation than in the regular Sunday congregations of parish churches. The implications of these findings are discussed for the development of cathedral ministry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological type preferences of 333 biblical scholars (102 women and 231 men) were assessed using an on-line survey of members of the Society of Biblical Literature, who completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales. Women showed preferences for introversion (74%) over extraversion (26%), thinking (67%) over feeling (33%), and judging (83%) over perceiving (17%), but no preference between sensing (49%) and intuition (51%). The two most frequent types were ISTJ (21%) and INTJ (17%). Men showed preferences for introversion (80%) over extraversion (20%), thinking (73%) over feeling (27%), and judging (87%) over perceiving (13%), but no preference between sensing (46%) and intuition (54%). The two most frequent types were ISTJ (29%) and INTJ (24%). Compared with a sample of clergy and USA population norms, the biblical scholars showed stronger preferences for introversion, intuition, thinking and judging. The women scholars in particular showed an unusually strong preference for thinking over feeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs psychological-type theory to profile practising British Druids and to compare their profile with that of Anglican churchgoers. A sample of 75 participants at a camp organised by The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids in celebration of the Mid-Summer Festival completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales. Compared with the profile of 327 Anglican churchgoers previously published by Francis, Duncan, Craig and Luffman, the Druids were significantly more likely to prefer intuition and less likely to prefer sensing. The implications of these data are discussed for understanding the contemporary appeal of Druidry. Overall the Druids prefer introversion (61%), intuition (64%), feeling (56%) and judging (68%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been found that the Muslim population in the UK seek spiritual advice from traditional faith healers for psychiatric and related problems. The important role that religious beliefs may have on perceptions of mental illness and substance misuse warrants further investigation. The aims were to examine the views of Muslims faith healers on symptoms and changes in behaviour commonly described as “psychosis” and “substance misuse”. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with Muslim faith healers from various backgrounds. Data were analysed according to the conventions of qualitative research using grounded theory methods. Religious conceptualisations played a key role in the understanding of both the disorders and consequently the guidance given. There were similarities and differences in the narratives given for psychosis and substance misuse. Healers expressed doubt towards other faith healers and the methods utilised by scientific means. The findings suggest a need for close collaboration between faith healers and mental health workers in order to achieve a culturally sensitive health care system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A review was conducted to examine the experiences that affect the therapeutic relationship when a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing meets with a therapist. Electronic databases were searched using keywords and 10 qualitative articles were retrieved that met the inclusion criteria. A qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted on the articles, including appraisal, comparison, and synthesis of findings. The results of the synthesis highlighted seven areas where the therapeutic relationship is challenged, including issues which occur before and during psychotherapy. The findings of the review are discussed in the context of the articles’ limitations. The implications of the results are discussed in terms of clinical practice, future research, and current models in psychology which are based on hearing participants. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A total of six individuals who identified themselves as “mediums” (people who perceive themselves as able to “communicate” with “spirit” or the deceased) and who reported hearing the voice of spirit (or “Clairaudience”) as a routine part of their work as mediums were interviewed about their experiences using a semi-structured interview format. Interview transcripts were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. The resulting three themes suggest that the experience of “Clairaudience” is broadly akin to the “voice hearing” experience. Participants’ explanations of these experiences in terms of “communicating with spirit” appeared to reduce anxiety and distress, added meaning and purpose to their lives and conferred ways to “discipline” or “control” their experiences to avoid intrusiveness, being overwhelmed or to manage negative experiences. The implications for clinical treatment of distressing voice hearing are considered in terms of existing literature around voice hearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]