Spirituality's impact on patient health behaviors and healing outcomes

1 Spirituality in Health and Wellness 1 Spirituality matters in health and wellness because it can impact the mood, attitude, psychology and overall improvement of the patient’s treatment and provide support for the patient’s healing (Craigie, 2010). 2 The categories of empirical evidence about spirituality-health connections include cross-sectional studies, longitudinal studies, meta-analytic reviews, and many others (Craigie, 2010). My perspectives on these categories are that each one offers a different type of evidence for how spirituality can impact a patient’s mental and physical health. Longitudinal studies, for example, look at the longer term affect. Meta-analytic reviews look at what all the available or relevant literature says about the topic. I believe that each type of research study is important, whether qualitative or quantitative, because each provides a perspective on the evidence and allows for the communication of understanding and learning to take place. My own related experience with these categories is that each can be quite convincing in their own ways, and I do not prefer one over another but rather value them each independently. 3 Spirituality impacts choices in health behaviors and coping in different ways. Sometimes religious beliefs prevent people from obtaining care—as in the case of Christian Scientists or Jehovah’s Witnesses. Other times, spirituality facilitates the care process. As Craigie (2010) points out, spirituality can help people break addictions and overcome habits that are leading them towards a poor mental and physical health state. 4 Spirituality can bring about positivity and keep people hopeful and help in the healing process.