Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Measuring Dimensions of Spirituality in Chemical Dependence Treatment and Recovery: Research and Practice

  • Published:
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Spirituality and religiousness have long been associated with physical and mental health. The scientific treatment of religiosity as a multi-dimensional phenomenon is well established, especially in relation to chemical dependence treatment. Indeed, over 100 instruments are available for measuring various dimensions of religiosity. The more recent emergence of spirituality as an accepted construct in research has seen the development of a growing number of instruments to measure aspects of spirituality. The authors selected ten spirituality scales for review and discussion, and provided information relating to the scales’ development, psychometrics, format, scoring, and availability. The scales are then conceptualized in terms of their aggregate and overlapping usefulness for research and practice, and suggestions are made concerning the salient dimensions of spirituality measured by each scale. The scales are presented as defining an increased sense of internalized spirituality that contributes to positive psychological and emotional outcomes underpinning recovery from chemical dependence.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • AA World Services, Inc. (1976). Alcoholics Anonymous: The story of how many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism (3rd ed.). New York: AA World Services, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allport, G. W. (1950). The individual and his religion: A psychological interpretation. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berrenberg, J. L. (1987a). The belief in personal control scale: A measure of God-mediated and exaggerated control. Journal of Personality Assessment, 51(2), 194–206.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Berrenberg, J. L. (1987b). The belief in personal control scale: A revised, short form. Washington, D. C.: U. S. Department of Education, Office of Education Research and Improvement. ERIC #ED325488.

  • Berrenberg, J. L. (2000). The belief in personal control scale. In K. Corcoran & J. Fischer (Eds.), Measures for clinical practice: A sourcebook (Vol. 2, 3rd ed., pp. 107–109). New York: Free.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campise, R., Ellison, C., & Kinsman, R. (1979). Spiritual well-being: Some exploratory relationships. In R. F. Paloutzian (Ed.), Spiritual well-being, loneliness, and perceived quality of life. Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, New York.

  • Carroll, S. (1993). Spirituality and purpose in life in alcoholism recovery. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 54, 297–301.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carter, T. M. (1998). The effects of spiritual practices on recovery from substance abuse. Journal of Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing, 5(5), 409–413.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chappel, J. N. (1990). Spirituality is not necessarily religion: A commentary on Divine intervention and the treatment of chemical dependency. Journal of Substance Abuse, 2, 481–483.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chappel, J. N. (1995). The Spiritual Health Inventory. University of Nevada—Reno.

  • Cook, C. C. H. (2004). Addiction and spirituality. Addiction, 99(5), 539–551.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Corcoran, K., & Fischer, J. (Eds.). (2000). Measures for clinical practice: A sourcebook (3rd ed.). New York: Free.

  • Cornwall, M., Albrecht, S. L., Cunningham, P. H., & Pitcher, B. L. (1986). The dimensions of religiosity: A conceptual model with an empirical test. Review of Religious Research, 27(3), 226–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corrington, J. E. (1989). Spirituality and recovery: Relationships between levels of spirituality, contentment and stress during recovery from alcoholism in AA. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 6(3/4), 151–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donahue, M. J. (1985). Intrinsic religiousness: Review and meta-analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 400–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellison, C. W. (1983). Spiritual well-being: Conceptualization and measurement. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 11(4), 330–340.

    Google Scholar 

  • Emblen, J. (1992). Religion and spirituality defined according to current use in nursing literature. Journal of Professional Nursing, 8, 41–47.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Emmons, R. A., Cheung, C., & Tehrani, K. (1998). Assessing spirituality through personal goals: Implications for research on religion and subjective well-being. Social Indicators Research, 45, 391–422.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feagin, J. R. (1964). Prejudice and religious types: A focused study of Southern fundamentalists. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 4, 3–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feher, S., & Maley, R. C. (1999). Coping with breast cancer in later life: The role of religious faith. Psycho-Oncology, 8, 408–416.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goldfarb, L. M., Galanter, M., McDowell, D., Lifshutz, H., & Dermatis, H. (1996). Medical student and patient attitudes toward religion and spirituality in the recovery process. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 22(4), 549–561.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gorsuch, R. L. (1993). Assessing spiritual variables in Alcoholics Anonymous research. In B. S. McCrady & W. R. Miller (Eds.), Research on Alcoholics Anonymous: Opportunities and alternatives (pp. 301–318). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Center on Alcohol Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gorsuch, R. L. (1995). Religious aspects of substance abuse and recovery. Journal of Social Issues, 51(2), 65–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, T. W., & Edwards, K. J. (1996). The initial development and factor analysis of the spiritual assessment inventory. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 24(3), 233–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, T. W., & Edwards, K. J. (2002). The Spiritual Assessment Inventory: A theistic model and measure for assessing spiritual development. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 41(2), 341–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, P. C., & Hood, R. W., Jr. (Eds.). (1999). Measures of religiosity. Birmingham, AL: Religious Education Press.

  • Hill, P. C., & Pargament, K. I. (2003). Advances in conceptualization and measurement of religion and spirituality: Implications for physical and mental health research. American Psychologist, 58(1), 64–74.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, P. C., Pargament, K. I., Hood, R. W., Jr., McCullough, M. E., Swyers, J. P., & Larson, D. B., et al. (2000). Conceptualizing religion and religion: Points of commonality, points of departure. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior, 30, 51–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, T. H., & Rahe, R. H. (1967). The social readjustment rating scale. Journal of Psychometric Research, 11, 213–218.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hudson, W. (1982). The clinical measurement package: A field manual. Homewood, IL: Dorsey.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jagers, R. J., & Mock, L. O. (1993). Culture and social outcomes among inner-city African-American children: An Afrographic exploration. Journal of Black Psychology, 19, 391–405.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jagers, R. J., & Smith, P. (1996). Further examination of the spirituality scale. Journal of Black Psychology, 22(4), 429–442.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • James, W. (2002). The varieties of religious experience: A study in human nature. New York: Routledge. (Original work published in 1902).

    Google Scholar 

  • Jarusiewicz, B. (2000). Spirituality and addiction: Relationship to recovery. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 18(4), 99–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Josephson, A., & Wiesner, I. (2004). Worldview in psychiatric assessment. In A. Josephson & J. Peteet (Eds.), Handbook of spirituality and worldview in clinical practice (pp. 15–30). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology, 10(2), 144–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaskutas, L. A., Turk, N., Bond, J., & Weisner, C. (2003). The role of religion, spirituality and Alcoholics Anonymous in sustained sobriety. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 21(1), 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kass, J. D., Friedman, R., Leserman, J., Zuttermeister, P. C., & Benson, H. (1991). Health outcomes and a new index of spiritual experience. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 30(2), 203–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirkpatrick, S. D., & McCullough, M. B. (1999). Religion and spirituality in rehabilitation psychology. Rehabilitation Psychology, 44, 388–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kissman, K., & Maurer, L. (2002). East meets West: Therapeutic aspects of spirituality in health, mental health and addiction recovery. International Social Work, 45(1), 35–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korinek, A. W., & Arredondo, R., Jr. (2004). The Spiritual Health Inventory (SHI): Assessment of an instrument for measuring spiritual health in a substance abusing population. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 22(2), 55–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koski-Jännes, A., & Turner, N. (1999). Factors influencing recovery from different addictions. Addiction Research, 7(6), 469–492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kurtz, E. (1988). AA: The Story (A revised edition of Not God: A history of Alcoholics Anonymous). New York: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurtz, E., & Ketcham, K. (1992). The spirituality of imperfection: Modern wisdom from classic stories. New York: Bantam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leigh, J., Bowen, S., & Marlatt, G. A. (2005). Spirituality, mindfulness and substance abuse. Addictive Behaviors, 30, 1335–1341.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • MacKinnon, S. V. (2004). Spirituality: Its role in substance abuse, treatment and recovery. The Brown University Digest of Addiction Theory and Application, 23(7), 8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marlatt, G. A., Witkiewitz, K., Dillworth, T. M., Bowen, S. W., Parks, G. A., & MacPherson, L. M. (2004). Vipassana meditation as a treatment for alcohol and drug use disorders. In S. C. Hayes, V. M. Follette, & M. M. Linehan (Eds.), Mindfulness and acceptance: Expanding the cognitive–behavioral tradition (pp. 267–287). New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marler, P. L., & Hadaway, C. K. (2002). “Being religious” or “being spiritual” in America: A zero-sum proposition? Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 41(2), 289–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mattis, J. (2000). African American women’s definition of spirituality: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Black Psychology, 26, 101–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCullough, M. E., Hoyt, W. T., Larson, D. B., Koenig, H. G., & Thoresen, C. (2000). Religious involvement and mortality: A meta-analytic review. Health Psychology, 19, 211–222.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McIntosh, D. N. (1995). Religion as schema, with implications for the relation between religion and coping. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 5, 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, W. R. (1997). Spiritual aspects of addictions treatment and research. Mind/Body Medicine, 2, 37–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, W. R. (1998). Researching the spiritual dimensions of alcohol and other drug problems. Addiction, 93(7), 979–990.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, W. R. (2003). Spirituality, treatment, and recovery. In M. Galanter (Ed.), Recent developments in alcoholism (Vol. 16, Research on alcoholism treatment, pp. 391–404). New York: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, W. R., & Thoresen, C. E. (2003). Spirituality, religion, and health: An emerging research field. American Psychologist, 58(1), 24–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, O. J. (2002). Alcohol problems, alcoholism and spirituality: An overview of measurement and scales. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 20(1), 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers, D. G. (2000). The American paradox: Spiritual hunger in an age of plenty. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (1999). Conference summary: Studying spirituality and alcohol. Kalamazoo, MI: The Fetzer Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newport, F. (2004). A look at Americans and religion today. Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing. Washiongton, DC: Gallup Organization (March 23).

    Google Scholar 

  • Nowinski, J., & Baker, S. (2003). The twelve-step facilitation handbook: A systematic approach to recovery from alcoholism and addiction. Center City, MN: Hazelden.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nowinski, J., Baker, S., & Carroll, K. (1995). Twelve step facilitation therapy manual: A clinical research guide for therapists treating individuals with alcohol abuse and dependence. Project MATCH Monograph Series, Vol. 1 (NIH Pub. No. 94-3722). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.

  • O’Connell, T. (1991). Michigan historian: Spritiuality at the heart of AA’s success. U.S. Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 15, 2.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paloutzian, R. F., & Ellison, C. W. (1982). Loneliness, spiritual well-being and quality of life. In L. A. Peplau & D. Perlman (Eds.), Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research and therapy (pp. 224–237). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pardini, D. A., Plante, T. G., Sherman, A., & Stump, J. E. (2000). Religious faith and spirituality in substance abuse recovery: Determining the mental health benefits. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 19, 347–354.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pargament, K. I. (1997). The psychology of religion of coping: Theory, research, practice. New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pargament, K. I. (1999). The psychology of religion and spirituality? Yes and no. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 9, 3–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pargament, K. I. (2002). The bitter and the sweet: An evaluation of the costs and benefits of religiousness. Psychological Inquiry, 13, 168–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paul, P. (2005). The power to uplift: Religious people are less stressed and happier than nonbelievers. Time, A46–48, January 17.

  • Payne, I. R., Bergin, A. E., Bielema, K. A., & Jenkins, P. H. (1991). Review of religion and mental health: Prevention and enhancement of psychosocial functioning. Prevention in Human Services, 9(2), 11–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peteet, J. R. (1993). A closer look at the role of a spiritual approach in addictions treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 10, 263–767.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Piedmont, R. L. (2001). Spiritual transcendence and the scientific study of spirituality. Journal of Rehabilitation, 67(1), 4–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards, P. S., Rector, J. M., Tjeltveit, A. C. (1999). Values, spirituality, and psychotherapy. In W. R. Miller (Ed.), Integrating spirituality into treatment: Resources for practitioners (pp. 133–160). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ritt-Olson, A., Milam, J., Unger, J. B., Trinidad, D., Teran, L., Dent, C. W., et al. (2004). The protective influence of spirituality and “health-as-a-value” against monthly substance use among adolescents varying in risk. Journal of Adolescent Health, 34, 192–199.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, J. P., & Shaver, P. R. (1973). Measures of social psychological attitudes. Ann Arbor, MI: Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose, A. (1999). Spirituality and palliative care: The attitudes of occupational therapists. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 62, 307–312.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rotter, J. B. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 80(1), Whole No. 609.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaler, J. A. (1996). Spiritual thinking in addiction-treatment providers: The Spiritual Belief Scale (SBS). Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 14(3), 7–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spilka, B. (1993). Spirituality: Problems and directions in operationalizing a fuzzy concept. Paper presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Conference, Toronto, Canada.

  • Stanard, R. B., Sandhu, D. S., & Painter, L. C. (2000). Assessment of spirituality in counseling. Journal of Counseling & Development, 78(2), 204–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tiebout, H. M. (1954). The ego factors in surrender in alcoholism. Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcoholism, 15(4), 610–621.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Underwood, L. G. (1999). A working model of health: Spirituality and religiousness as resources: Applications to persons with disability. Journal of Religion, Disability and Health, 3(3), 55–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Underwood, L. G., & Teresi, J. A. (2002). The Daily Spiritual Experience Scale: Theoretical description, explanatory factor analysis, and preliminary construct validity using health-related data. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 24(1), 22–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Veach, T. L., & Chappel, J. N. (1992). Measuring spiritual health: A preliminary study. Substance Abuse, 13(3), 139–147.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waters, P., & Shafer, K. C. (2005). Spirituality in addiction treatment and recovery (A two-part series). Southern Coast Beacon (July).

  • White, J. M., Wampler, R. S., & Fischer, J. L. (2001). Indicators of spiritual development in recovery from alcohol and other drug problems. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 19(1), 19–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitfield, C. L. (1984). Stress management and spirituality during recovery: A transpersonal approach, Part 1: Becoming. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 1(1), 3–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitfield, C. L. (2003). My recovery: A personal plan for healing. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, V. L. (2003). A phenomenological exploration of spirituality among African American women recovering from substance abuse. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 17(4), 173–185.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zinnbauer, B. J., Pargament, K. I., Cole, B., Rye, M. S., Butter, E. M., Belavich, T. G., et al. (1997). Religion and spirituality: Unfuzzying the fuzzy. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 36(4), 549–564.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin, University Station, D3500, 1925 San Jacinto Blvd., Austin, TX, 78712-0358, USA

    Clayton Shorkey, Michael Uebel & Liliane C. Windsor

Authors
  1. Clayton Shorkey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael Uebel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Liliane C. Windsor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Clayton Shorkey.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shorkey, C., Uebel, M. & Windsor, L.C. Measuring Dimensions of Spirituality in Chemical Dependence Treatment and Recovery: Research and Practice. Int J Ment Health Addiction 6, 286–305 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-007-9065-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-007-9065-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation