Spirituality and Employment in Recovery from Severe and Persistent Mental Illness and Psychological Well-Being.

Jesús Saiz,María Galilea,María Salazar,Antonio J Molina,Deepak Chopra,Tiffany J Barsotti,Paul J Mills

doi:10.3390/healthcare9010057

Abstract

People diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) face multiple vulnerabilities, including when seeking employment. Among SPMI patients, studies show that a stronger sense of spirituality can help to reduce psychotic symptoms, increase social integration, reduce the risk of suicide attempts and promote adherence to psychiatric treatment. This study examined how the variables spirituality and employment affect the recovery process and psychological well-being of people with SPMI who attend employment recovery services. The sample consisted of 64 women and men diagnosed with an SPMI. The assessment instruments included the Recovery Assessment Scale, Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scale, Work Motivation Questionnaire, Daily Spiritual Experience Scale, and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy—Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-Sp12). Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to compare three different models for each dependent variable (recovery and psychological well-being). The findings showed that job skills predicted psychological well-being and recovery. When spiritual variables were included in the model, job skills dropped out and the dimension meaning/peace of the FACIT-Sp12 emerged as the only significant predictor variable. Integrating spirituality into recovery programs for people with SPMI may be a helpful complement to facilitate the recovery process and improve psychological well-being.

Highlights

In the United States, 20% of adults have or have had a common mental health problem (51.5 million in 2019), and 5.2% have a serious mental illness (13.1 million in 2019) [1]
This study aims to understand how the variables spirituality and employment affect the recovery process and the psychological well-being of people with Severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) who attend to employment recovery services
There were no differences in recovery and psychological well-being by gender, nor did we find significant correlations between age and the recovery and psychological well-being

Summary

Introduction

In the United States, 20% of adults have or have had a common mental health problem (51.5 million in 2019), and 5.2% have a serious mental illness (13.1 million in 2019) [1]. Goldman et al [4] (p.22) defined SPMI patients as “persons who suffer certain serious psychiatric and chronic disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, organic brain syndromes, paranoid disorders and other psychoses, as well as serious disorders of the personality which impede or prevent the development of their functional capacities in relation to daily life aspects, such as personal hygiene, self-care, self-control, interpersonal relations, social interactions, leisure activities, and work. These later conditions impede the development of their economic self-sufficiency. Many of these persons have been hospitalized at some time in their lives, changing the duration of their condition”

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion