Spirituality in Occupational Therapy: Theory in Practice?

Abstract

Spirituality is recognised as an essential component of holistic practice, which can have a significant impact on individuals' health and occupation (Christiansen 1997). As such, the need for occupational therapists to recognise and address this area of clients' lives has been identified. However, occupational therapists appear to have some difficulty in addressing this area in practice. This study aimed to examine the factors contributing to any such gap between professional theory and practice and to highlight the ways that any difficulties could be overcome. Postal questionnaires of primarily quantitative design were sent to 98 randomly selected hospital-based occupational therapy departments across England; 79 (81%) were returned completed. Role ambiguity and the lack of inclusion of spirituality in assessments were found to be factors increasing the perceived difficulty of some respondents in addressing religious/spiritual beliefs in practice. The awareness of occupational therapy models was found to increase respondents' perceived confidence and clarity regarding addressing religious/spiritual beliefs in practice. Practical training and information were identified as methods by which confidence in addressing these aspects may be increased.