Background. Religious and spiritual (R/S) struggles may impact mental health treatment and recove... more Background. Religious and spiritual (R/S) struggles may impact mental health treatment and recovery processes. The current study investigates how R/S struggles play a role in mental illness and what approaches are experienced as helpful. Methods. Thirty-five semi-structured interviews with clinical mental health patients in a Christian (N = 15) and a secular (N = 20) mental health clinic were narratively analyzed. Results. R/S struggles are common in people who suffer from mental illness and often coexist together with R/S support, mostly fluctuating over time. In summary, patients experience R/S struggles as negative feelings (e.g., loneliness, shame, mistrust) and the absence of positive feelings (e.g., hope and peace). These are influenced by someone’s R/S background and beliefs, as well as by the illness and other events. All participants appreciated a receptive approach (1) and many preferred an active approach (2) by mental health professionals. Some patients reported benefits...
Depression strongly increases the risk of suicide. Religion is described as a protective factor a... more Depression strongly increases the risk of suicide. Religion is described as a protective factor against suicide. Considering the emotional blunting associated with depression, it is important to investigate the affective dimension of religion. This dimension is conveyed in God representations.<br/> AIM: To describe what types of God representation occur among Christian patients with major depressive disorder and to determine whether there is a relationship between types of God representation and suicide.<br/> METHOD: Clinical and outpatients with a major depressive disorder (n=155) completed the Questionnaire God Representations and the Paykel Suicide Items. A k-means cluster analysis is applied to examine which types of God representations occur among depressed patients. Whether there is a relationship between the different God representations and suicide is examined by applying a linear regression analysis.<br/> RESULTS: Depressed patients uphold two types of God representation: a positive type (n=82) with positive feelings towards God and where God was experienced as supportive, and a negative type (n=73) with anger and anxiety towards God and where God was experienced as passive. Patients with a negative type of God representation scored significantly higher on suicidality. The severity of depression was the main predictor of suicidality, but God representations were also related with a 4% increase in the explained variance.<br/> CONCLUSION: In Christian patients with major depressive disorder a negative and a positive God representation emerged. Patients with a negative God representation mainly seem to feel abandoned by God. The suicidality is significantly increased in patients with a negative God representation, however, the increase in the proportion of the explained variance is small.
Het geloofsrelatiegesprek (GRG) is een nieuwe interventie waarbij met patiënten eenmalig de relig... more Het geloofsrelatiegesprek (GRG) is een nieuwe interventie waarbij met patiënten eenmalig de religieuze gedachten en gevoelens worden geëxploreerd, de religieuze biografie wordt besproken en de overeenkomsten en verschillen tussen de geloofsrelatie en intermenselijke relaties worden uitgediept. Hierbij onderzoeken patiënt en behandelaar op basis van de Vragenlijst Godsbeeld (VGB) gezamenlijk het godsbeeld. Bij patiënten met een depressieve stoornis zijn ervaringen met, en de impact van deze interventie onderzocht in een exploratieve studie. Patiënten geven aan dat zij zich serieus genomen voelen binnen hun eigen religieus kader en meer taal verkrijgen voor hun eigen godsbeeld. Ook laten zij na afname van het GRG een toename zien van religieus gedrag en geven zij aan dat zij behoefte hebben aan een vervolg. Deze eerste resultaten suggereren dat het GRG een veelbelovende interventie is die patiënten en behandelaren mogelijkheden geeft om het godsbeeld te integreren in een psychologische behandeling, en daarnaast aanknopingspunten en taal geeft om het geloofsleven te bespreken in het pastoraat
In scientific literature, active commitment to a religious community is considered to be a protec... more In scientific literature, active commitment to a religious community is considered to be a protective factor against suicidal behavior. However, it is assumed that this protective effect does not apply to 'reformed pietists' or strict Calvinists, an orthodox-protestant group in the Netherlands.<br/> AIM: To explore whether the incidence of suicide is higher among reformed pietists than among other Christian patients of Eleos, a Dutch christian institute for mental health care.<br/> METHOD: A retrospective cohort study was conducted over the period 2000-2017. All evaluating reports, which were written after a suicide, were analyzed.<br/> RESULTS: In the period 2000-2017 28 evident suicides were committed. The number of suicides among reformed pietistic patients was about 10 times lower than among other Christian patients.<br/> CONCLUSION: The assumption that reformed pietists run a relatively high risk for suicide does not have adequate grounds. In case of risk assessment, reformed pietistic affiliation might be considered to be more a protecting than a risk-increasing factor for suicide.
Background. Religious and spiritual (R/S) struggles may impact mental health treatment and recove... more Background. Religious and spiritual (R/S) struggles may impact mental health treatment and recovery processes. The current study investigates how R/S struggles play a role in mental illness and what approaches are experienced as helpful. Methods. Thirty-five semi-structured interviews with clinical mental health patients in a Christian (N = 15) and a secular (N = 20) mental health clinic were narratively analyzed. Results. R/S struggles are common in people who suffer from mental illness and often coexist together with R/S support, mostly fluctuating over time. In summary, patients experience R/S struggles as negative feelings (e.g., loneliness, shame, mistrust) and the absence of positive feelings (e.g., hope and peace). These are influenced by someone’s R/S background and beliefs, as well as by the illness and other events. All participants appreciated a receptive approach (1) and many preferred an active approach (2) by mental health professionals. Some patients reported benefits...
Depression strongly increases the risk of suicide. Religion is described as a protective factor a... more Depression strongly increases the risk of suicide. Religion is described as a protective factor against suicide. Considering the emotional blunting associated with depression, it is important to investigate the affective dimension of religion. This dimension is conveyed in God representations.<br/> AIM: To describe what types of God representation occur among Christian patients with major depressive disorder and to determine whether there is a relationship between types of God representation and suicide.<br/> METHOD: Clinical and outpatients with a major depressive disorder (n=155) completed the Questionnaire God Representations and the Paykel Suicide Items. A k-means cluster analysis is applied to examine which types of God representations occur among depressed patients. Whether there is a relationship between the different God representations and suicide is examined by applying a linear regression analysis.<br/> RESULTS: Depressed patients uphold two types of God representation: a positive type (n=82) with positive feelings towards God and where God was experienced as supportive, and a negative type (n=73) with anger and anxiety towards God and where God was experienced as passive. Patients with a negative type of God representation scored significantly higher on suicidality. The severity of depression was the main predictor of suicidality, but God representations were also related with a 4% increase in the explained variance.<br/> CONCLUSION: In Christian patients with major depressive disorder a negative and a positive God representation emerged. Patients with a negative God representation mainly seem to feel abandoned by God. The suicidality is significantly increased in patients with a negative God representation, however, the increase in the proportion of the explained variance is small.
Het geloofsrelatiegesprek (GRG) is een nieuwe interventie waarbij met patiënten eenmalig de relig... more Het geloofsrelatiegesprek (GRG) is een nieuwe interventie waarbij met patiënten eenmalig de religieuze gedachten en gevoelens worden geëxploreerd, de religieuze biografie wordt besproken en de overeenkomsten en verschillen tussen de geloofsrelatie en intermenselijke relaties worden uitgediept. Hierbij onderzoeken patiënt en behandelaar op basis van de Vragenlijst Godsbeeld (VGB) gezamenlijk het godsbeeld. Bij patiënten met een depressieve stoornis zijn ervaringen met, en de impact van deze interventie onderzocht in een exploratieve studie. Patiënten geven aan dat zij zich serieus genomen voelen binnen hun eigen religieus kader en meer taal verkrijgen voor hun eigen godsbeeld. Ook laten zij na afname van het GRG een toename zien van religieus gedrag en geven zij aan dat zij behoefte hebben aan een vervolg. Deze eerste resultaten suggereren dat het GRG een veelbelovende interventie is die patiënten en behandelaren mogelijkheden geeft om het godsbeeld te integreren in een psychologische behandeling, en daarnaast aanknopingspunten en taal geeft om het geloofsleven te bespreken in het pastoraat
In scientific literature, active commitment to a religious community is considered to be a protec... more In scientific literature, active commitment to a religious community is considered to be a protective factor against suicidal behavior. However, it is assumed that this protective effect does not apply to 'reformed pietists' or strict Calvinists, an orthodox-protestant group in the Netherlands.<br/> AIM: To explore whether the incidence of suicide is higher among reformed pietists than among other Christian patients of Eleos, a Dutch christian institute for mental health care.<br/> METHOD: A retrospective cohort study was conducted over the period 2000-2017. All evaluating reports, which were written after a suicide, were analyzed.<br/> RESULTS: In the period 2000-2017 28 evident suicides were committed. The number of suicides among reformed pietistic patients was about 10 times lower than among other Christian patients.<br/> CONCLUSION: The assumption that reformed pietists run a relatively high risk for suicide does not have adequate grounds. In case of risk assessment, reformed pietistic affiliation might be considered to be more a protecting than a risk-increasing factor for suicide.
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Papers by Hanneke Schaap-Jonker