Symposium F3

Spiritual Needs

Date: Chair:	Friday, May 18, 14:00 - 15:30 Arndt Büssing
14:00	Spiritual Needs of Patients with Chronic Pain Disease and Cancer Arndt Büssing It is remarkable that spiritual needs are in most cases not regarded as an issue of the health care system. Not surprisingly, several patients report unmet spiritual needs. We intended to analyse which needs are of relevance for patients with chronic pain diseases and cancer, and which variables may predict them. In an anonymous cross-sectional study with standardized questionnaires (i.e., SpNQ, IIQ, BMLSS) we enrolled 285 patients (67.5% women; mean age 55 ± 14 years; 73% chronic pain, 20% cancer, 7% other). As measure with the Spriitual Neeeds Questionnaire (SpNQ), patients´ needs for Inner Peace and Actively Giving / Generativity were expressed high, while their Religious Needs or Existential Needs were low. Regression models indicate that interpretation of diseases as "Value" and reduced life satisfaction were relevant predictors of these needs. However, patients´ symptom score (VAS) or gender were not among the significant predictors. Apart from obvious needs to achieve states of inner peace and well-being, particularly Actively Giving / Generativity was of importance because it represents patients´ intention to leave the role model of a `passive sufferer´ to become an active, self-actualizing giving individual. When these needs are identified, health care professionals and patients´ relatives have the chance to react and support patients in their struggle with chronic illness.
14:20	Spiritual Needs of Patients in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and their Utilization of Spirituality/Religiosity to cope Franz Reiser A clinical overview study at the University Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at Freiburg/Germany has set out to survey psychiatric patients' spiritual and religious attitudes and practices, their spiritual needs and expectations towards the clinic and its personnel. For one and a half years, all new inpatients have received a questionnaire at the beginning and at the end of their clinical stay. Some first results will be presented. It seems that religion and spirituality are of importance for a significant part of patients, both generally and in relation to their disorder. A considerable amount of patients wishes that these dimensions are also addressed by the clinic staff. Further, spiritual needs as operationalized by the “Spiritual Needs Questionnaire” (Büssing) seem to represent an important distinguishable aspect of personality.
14:40	Spiritual Needs of Elderly in Retirement Homes and their Association with Quality of Life Nora-Beata Erichsen Elderly who are not able to live in their familiar environment anymore, often suffer from the changes in their social surroundings and the loss of their previous role and self-determined way of life. It is already acknowledged that mostly self-realization and -identification, general questions on meaning of life as well as social membership and acceptance receive too little attention in everyday care and contact. We intended to analyze the psychosocial and spiritual needs of elderly living in residential care homes, retirement and nursing homes, particularly. (1) Wherein do they find support, sense and meaning? (2) Are their needs recognized and satisfied? (3) Are there associations between these needs and their quality of life / life satisfaction? To address these questions, we started an anonymous survey using qualitative interviews / validated questionnaires among elderly living in those facilities and homes in Northern Germany. First results will be presented.
	one audio-file containing the whole session: (Sorry for the poor sound quality)
15:00	Discussion

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