Search Results (624)

As ecological crises intensify—characterized by the collapse of familiar ecosystems and vanishing of ancestral landscapes—growing numbers of people report experiences of ecological grief: mournful responses to loss of cherished more-than-human lives and environments. This paper examines how eco-grief unsettles existing ontological narratives and creates space for renewed ways of thinking, feeling, and relating. In doing so, it reframes ecological disorientation as a liminal state which facilitates spiritual reimagining and renewal. Drawing on a comparative analysis of Heideggerian phenomenology with Dagara and Ubuntu philosophy, the essay conceptualizes ecological grief not as a retreat into despair, but as an invitation to reorient within the more-than-human world, thereby scrutinizing existing and persisting habits of separation and linear progress. It subsequently examines how spiritual and symbolic expressions of eco-grief can help to articulate notions such as affect, reciprocity, and care in an eco-centric manner. By explicitly incorporating underrepresented perspectives and aligning contributions across cultural and spiritual spheres, the paper explores how moments of spatial and existential rupture may be approached in a novel manner, thereby bridging existing eco-grief research gaps and framing spiritual notions as a generative force within the realm of ecological engagement. Full article

The article reflects on the care for the work of creation within Benedictine spirituality and within the broader tradition of the Cistercian Order. It seeks to demonstrate that monastic spirituality, though developed in a pre-modern context, contains enduring theological and ethical intuitions that remain relevant for contemporary ecological reflection. The starting point of the analysis is the Rule of Saint Benedict written by Benedict of Nursia, which, although it does not employ the modern vocabulary of ecology or environmental ethics, nevertheless articulates a coherent vision of human life characterized by reverence, moderation, and responsibility toward the created world. Particular attention is given to key spiritual and anthropological dimensions of the Benedictine tradition, such as attentive listening (obsculta), humility, moderation, stability, and responsible work, expressed synthetically in the principle ora et labora. These elements are interpreted not only as monastic disciplines shaping individual and communal life, but also as forming a relational anthropology in which the human person is understood as fundamentally embedded within a network of relationships with God, other people, and creation. In this sense, Benedictine spirituality already implies a non-exploitative attitude toward the natural world. The article then examines how concern for creation has been deepened and concretized in the spirituality, institutional practice, and historical development of the Cistercian Order. Drawing on selected Cistercian documents as well as contemporary monastic reflections, the study shows that care for the natural environment is inseparably linked with spiritual attentiveness to God, interior silence, openness of heart, and readiness to serve. The Cistercian tradition, with its emphasis on simplicity of life, manual labor, and harmonious integration with the surrounding environment, develops these Benedictine intuitions in a particularly concrete and historically embodied form. From this perspective, a pro-ecological attitude is not interpreted merely as a reactive response to contemporary environmental crises, but rather as a structural consequence of a theologically grounded vision of reality. It emerges from a deep relationship with God as Creator and from a sense of entrusted responsibility for creation understood as a gift rather than as an object of domination. Ecological sensitivity is thus presented as an intrinsic dimension of monastic spirituality rather than an external adaptation to modern concerns. The main research question of the article is: to what extent and in what way do Benedictine and Cistercian spiritual traditions provide theological, anthropological, and ethical foundations for an ecological attitude toward creation within the framework of contemporary integral ecology. To address this problem, the study employs qualitative research methods grounded in theological inquiry. The primary method is textual analysis of the Rule of Saint Benedict and selected Cistercian documents, complemented by theological–hermeneutical interpretation aimed at identifying key spiritual principles and their implicit ecological implications. In addition, the study applies a historical–critical perspective in order to situate monastic sources within their original cultural and theological context, as well as a comparative theological approach, which enables a dialogue between classical monastic spirituality and contemporary ecological theology. These methods are used not only to reconstruct historical meanings, but also to interpret monastic texts in light of contemporary debates on integral ecology, sustainability, and the ethics of responsibility for our common home. In this way, the article highlights a significant continuity between monastic wisdom and modern ecological reflection, showing their mutual capacity for enrichment. Full article

Context: Previous studies and reviews in adult patients have shown that hope is an important coping mechanism in patients with serious health problems. Although there are individual studies in pediatric patients, there is a lack of a systematic review of how hope manifests and how it can be supported in children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Objectives: This systematic review aims to identify the key factors that are associated with the experience of hope in pediatric palliative care. It examines how hope is fostered or diminished in children with life-limiting illnesses, their parents, and other family members. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across major medical databases for studies published between 1990 and 2024. Thematic analysis was used to identify factors associated with hope. The quality of the included studies was critically appraised. Results: Out of 1373 identified records, 105 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies were qualitative in design and met a high proportion of the applicable criteria in their respective design-specific appraisal tools. Factors associated with increased hope included open and empathetic communication, trusting relationships with healthcare providers, strong social and family support, spiritual and religious faith, effective symptom management, involvement in care decisions, and access to practical resources. Conversely, reduced hope was associated with poor communication, social isolation, uncontrolled symptoms, uncertainty, caregiver distress, financial strain, and negative healthcare experiences. These factors were consistent across cultural and diagnostic contexts, with some variation in emphasis. Conclusions: Hope in pediatric palliative care is associated with relational, psychological, spiritual, and systemic factors. Many of these are modifiable. A family-centered and multidisciplinary approach is essential to sustaining hope in pediatric palliative contexts. Full article

Background/Objectives: Ageing populations face complex challenges, yet many older adults maintain well-being despite adversity. Understanding resilience offers critical direction for health promotion. This integrative review takes a conceptual and methodological approach to resilience in older adults, with clear implications for geriatric care. The review addresses: (1) how resilience is conceptualised and measured; (2) individual, social, and contextual factors linked to resilience; and (3) the effectiveness of interventions that aim to promote resilience. Methods: Following Whittemore and Knafl’s framework, a systematic search of six databases (PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane CENTRAL; 2016–2025) identified 42 empirical studies across 18 countries of diverse designs. Quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool, and thematic analysis identified five convergent themes. Results: Most studies explicitly defined resilience using trait-, process-, or outcome-based frameworks and employed validated instruments, most commonly the CD-RISC. Self-efficacy, spirituality, sense of coherence, and gratitude were consistently associated with resilience. Family relationships, social networks, and community participation were important relational correlates. Health status, education, economic security, and digital literacy were key contextual factors. Six longitudinal studies linked higher resilience to reduced mortality, slower cognitive decline, and attenuated frailty progression. Seven intervention studies, including five randomised controlled trials, supported physical activity, mindfulness, positive thinking training, Tai Chi, and technology-supported exercise as promising intervention modalities, though one web-based programme yielded null findings. Conclusions: Resilience in older adults is a multifaceted and potentially modifiable construct. Growing longitudinal evidence extends its relevance beyond psychological well-being to physical health outcomes, though cross-sectional designs predominate and limit causal inference. Measurement heterogeneity across more than twenty instruments underscores the need for international consensus and culturally valid tools. Larger longitudinal studies and adequately powered trials are needed to guide definitive practice and policy for ageing populations worldwide. Full article

Plant-based healing practices integrate botanical resources, ritual speech, gesture, faith, spiritual mediation, protection, and social recognition within complex community systems of care. This cross-regional scoping review mapped the traceable literature on plant-based knowledge associated with benzedeiras, benzedores, rezadeiras, rezadores, and functionally analogous specialists. The formal scoping-review corpus comprised 54 records retrieved through structured database searches. A separate contextual layer of 132 supplementary records, identified through citation tracking and targeted searches using emic specialist terms, broadened interpretation but was not treated as methodologically equivalent to the PRISMA-derived corpus. Across the 186 analytical records, 74 harmonized specialist terms and 212 botanical entries associated with therapeutic, ritual, spiritual, or community-based practices were identified. The botanical matrix comprised 68 families and 166 genera, with Lamiaceae, Asteraceae, Solanaceae, and Fabaceae as the most represented families. The results reveal terminological diversity, regional asymmetries in documentation, and the predominance of broad labels alongside terms with greater emic density. Plants operate as pharmacological resources, ritual supports, spiritual mediators, instruments of protection, territorial markers, and performative elements of healing. These specialists should be understood as mediators of complex therapeutic systems. The findings represent the indexed and traceable supplementary literature analyzed and should not be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of ritual healing traditions worldwide. Full article

Spiritual care is summoned by suffering—by ‘wounds’ that are psychological, relational, spiritual, embodied, and political at once. As disciplines continue to be entrenched and siloed amidst the growing sociopolitical tensions and global crises in a decolonial age, what is at stake is the ability to care for each suffering Other in their complexity. This article offers a selective genealogy and relational integration of psychoanalysis and spiritual care (in a decolonial age). Against both clinical reductionisms and theological certainty, we argue for renewed dialogue between psychoanalysis and spiritual care through a relational integration framework, both as an ethical stance and hermeneutic framework. We first trace how pastoral and practical theology have approached each ‘wound’ in spiritual care through clinical pastoral education, psychoanalytic pastoral care, practical–theological hermeneutics, and liberationist, intercultural, postcolonial, and decolonial turns. We then consider how psychoanalysis itself has undergone significant transformations through object relations, relational–intersubjective theories, existential–phenomenological approaches, and feminist, intercultural, liberationist, and decolonial critiques. Finally, we propose embodied, hermeneutical, developmental, and intercultural commitments for relational integration, further clarified through spiritual dwelling, seeking, and crucibles of transformation. These commitments orient practitioners toward more accountable forms of interdisciplinary formation, witness, healing, justice, and liberation with the suffering Other. Full article

Background: In advanced cancer care, routine clinical assessment often focuses on symptoms, treatment tolerance, and disease status, while spiritual well-being remains insufficiently explored despite its relevance to quality of life (QoL). Standardized patient-reported tools may help identify spiritual and existential vulnerability in patients receiving palliative treatment. This study evaluated the EORTC QLQ-SWB32 as a structured spiritual well-being assessment tool in advanced cancer care through its cultural adaptation and clinical validation among Romanian patients. Furthermore, it evaluated the tool’s feasibility and explored the association between spiritual well-being and QoL in individuals receiving palliative systemic therapy. Methods: Following EORTC Quality of Life Group guidelines, the QLQ-SWB32 was translated and pilot-tested with ten cancer patients. A prospective, cross-sectional observational study was then conducted at the Regional Institute of Oncology in Iași, Romania. Over six months, 42 adult patients with metastatic or locally advanced inoperable malignancies undergoing palliative systemic therapy were enrolled. Participants completed the EORTC QLQ-SWB32 and EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL questionnaires, while sociodemographic and clinical variables were collected using structured case report forms. Results: The translated instrument showed good linguistic clarity and clinical acceptability during pilot testing. The study cohort was predominantly aged 40–64 years (52.38%) and was socio-culturally homogeneous, with all patients identifying as Romanian and most as Eastern Orthodox (92.85%). The Relationship with God/the Divine (RSG) domain showed a stronger association with QoL in male patients than in female patients, particularly in subsequent treatment lines. In the subsequent-line subgroup, residential environment reached statistical significance (p = 0.021), with a stronger RSG–QoL correlation among rural residents. Age-related inversion patterns in the RSG–QoL association were also observed across treatment lines. Conclusions: Spiritual well-being assessment may provide clinically relevant patient-reported information in advanced cancer care. The Romanian EORTC QLQ-SWB32 demonstrated feasibility, linguistic clarity, and clinical validity as a structured assessment tool. The association between the Relationship with God/the Divine domain and QoL varied according to sex, age, residential environment, and treatment trajectory, supporting the integration of standardized spiritual assessment into individualized palliative oncology care. Full article

Background/Objectives: End-of-life (EOL) preparedness remains critically understudied among Hispanic patients with advanced breast cancer and their patient–caregiver dyads, despite evidence that preparedness significantly influences quality of life, care decisions, and caregiver well-being. This study aimed to explore how Hispanic patient–caregiver dyads conceptualize and experience EOL preparedness. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was employed, guided by the Dyadic Cancer Outcomes Framework, which highlights patient and caregiver characteristics, relationship processes, individual and relational outcomes, the cancer care trajectory, and the broader social context as interrelated influences on dyadic experience. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted in Spanish with 11 metastatic patient–caregiver dyads (n = 22 participants) recruited through Ponce Health Sciences University and the Ponce Research Institute in Puerto Rico. Data were analyzed using codebook thematic analysis in NVivo 15, with themes interpreted through the framework’s components. Results: Six interdependent themes of EOL preparedness were identified: psychological and emotional, spiritual, informational, practical, physical, and caregiver role preparedness. Spiritual preparedness, grounded in faith, prayer, and surrender to divine will, functioned as the foundational axis organizing all other themes. Preparedness was dynamic and turning-point-driven, challenged anew at each stage of disease progression. Financial vulnerability, caregiver invisibility within formal care systems, and insufficient anticipatory information were identified as primary barriers. Family support and faith communities were the most consistently cited facilitators. Conclusions: The findings yield the first grounded, dyadic conceptualization of EOL preparedness with Hispanic advanced breast cancer patient–caregiver dyads. We propose a formal definition positioning preparedness as a dynamic, multidimensional, relationally embedded, and spiritually anchored process that is fundamentally interdependent between patient and caregiver. These results directly inform the development of a culturally tailored, dyadic EOL preparedness intervention for this underserved population. Full article

Spiritual care is central to palliative care. It helps patients nearing the end of life to maintain a sense of meaning, hope, and dignity, while alleviating existential anxiety and emotional distress as they face death. This study analyzes spiritual care practice in palliative care in China. It explores how religion supports spiritual healing by adapting and reconfiguring localized rituals. These adaptations are particularly important where overt religious expression and formal rituals are hard to include in healthcare settings. Based on semi-structured interviews with 14 professional carers in Shanghai, this paper examines how religious resources are translated into spiritual care in the Chinese healthcare context and analyzes the mechanisms behind their therapeutic effects. Research finds, first, that spiritual care in Chinese palliative care is not usually labeled as “spirituality” but is more often called “psychological care.” Second, religion in practice has not disappeared; instead, it has moved from public ritual and belief to the private sphere. Its roles (providing meaning, reconciling relationships, and supporting the transition from life to death) are transformed into care practices such as life reviews, the “Si Dao Ren Sheng” (the “Four Themes of Life”: expressing gratitude, offering an apology, expressing love, and saying farewell), family support, body donation, and end-of-life planning. Third, these therapeutic practices are effective not because of religious dogma, sacred stories, or explanations of the afterlife, but because they reconnect the patient to the “past–present–future.” Looking to the past, life reviews help patients integrate their narratives and affirm self-worth. In the present, repairing family relationships and expressing emotions help patients feel seen, accompanied, and needed. Looking to the future, end-of-life planning and the assignment of responsibilities give patients some control and peace of mind. Based on the thematic analysis, this paper therefore inductively constructs a “past–present–future” model of meaning-making in Chinese spiritual healing. Drawing on the Chinese cases examined, it offers a theoretical contribution to the global study of spiritual care. Full article

Background: Heart failure is a chronic and progressive condition that substantially affects patients’ physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being. Although the clinical burden of heart failure is well documented, limited qualitative evidence exists regarding how Saudi adults experience and interpret the condition within their cultural, familial, and religious contexts. This study explored the experiences of Saudi adults living with heart failure and their perceptions of its impact on health-related quality of life. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study informed by an interpretivist perspective was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 25 Saudi adults diagnosed with heart failure. Participants were recruited from specialized heart failure and cardiac outpatient clinics within a tertiary medical city in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Four themes were identified: (1) emotional distress and fear, (2) loss of independence and increased dependency, (3) social role disruption, and (4) coping and adaptation strategies. Participants described significant psychological burden, reduced autonomy, and changes in family and social roles following their diagnosis. Conclusions: Heart failure was experienced as more than a physical illness, affecting participants’ emotional well-being, social identity, family relationships, and spiritual life. The findings underscore the importance of holistic and culturally responsive care that addresses psychological, social, spiritual, and family-related needs alongside symptom management. Full article

Background: Religious coping is an important psychosocial resource that may influence how individuals adapt to chronic illnesses and engage in health-related behaviors. While studies have associated religion with the effective management of diabetes, the involvement of religious coping, both positive and negative, in the self-care of diabetic patients has been underexplored. The aim of this study was to quantify the association of religious coping with diabetes self-care among adults in Saudi Arabia. Methods: We used a cross-sectional study among 413 adults with diabetes. Positive and negative religious coping were assessed using the Brief Religious Coping Scale (Brief RCOPE), and diabetes self-care was measured using the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine associations between religious coping and diabetes self-care after adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. We also used quantile regression to assess whether associations varied across the distribution of diabetes self-care scores. Results: The finding showed that positive religious coping was significantly and positively associated with diabetes self-care (β = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.18 to 0.70), while negative religious coping did not show significant association (β = 0.04, 95% CI: −0.13 to 0.22). Quantile regression analyses demonstrated significant positive associations between positive religious coping and diabetes self-care at the 25th percentile (β = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.73), 50th percentile (β = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.89), and 75th percentile (β = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.92), with the strongest association observed at the 90th percentile (β = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.42 to 1.48). Negative religious coping was not significantly associated with self-care at any quantile. Conclusions: Our finding showed significant association between positive religious coping and diabetes self-care, whereas negative religious coping showed no significant association. The findings suggest that positive religious coping may represent an important psychosocial resource associated with diabetes self-care. Future longitudinal studies incorporating objective clinical outcomes are needed to further examine the role of religious coping in diabetes management. Full article

This paper analyzes contemporary medicine as a prime arena for the expression of “engaged spirituality”, understood as an action-oriented approach aimed at social and clinical change. The focus is on palliative care, a person-centered model that challenges biomedical reductionism by integrating the physical, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of the patient. Through a review of the state of the art, the article reconstructs the historical separation between “health” and “salvation”, highlighting the critical issues of the Italian context: “institutional inattention” and difficulties in managing religious pluralism. In contrast, international experiences and the adoption of technical tools demonstrate that spiritual care is now measurable and essential clinical competency. The analysis presents the results of empirical research which, through the voices of healthcare professionals, shows how palliative care translates spirituality into operational practice. By valuing the concept of “total pain”, this approach not only improves quality of life at the end of life but also serves as a holistic paradigm exportable to other medical fields, ensuring the recognition of the person’s integral dignity. Full article

This paper argues for the necessity of psychoanalysis in the North American field of spiritual care. More specifically, the essay argues that at a time of social unrest, despair, and authoritarian rule, the work of interiority that psychoanalysis and African religious cosmologies emphasize is especially suited to the current moment in U.S. history. An integrative sampling of black psychoanalytic thinkers and black religious scholars will be highlighted as possible examples of interdisciplinary praxis for the work of spiritual care in a world where freedom and democracy are in peril. As the voices of many black and brown scholars in this area have been overlooked, disregarded, or ghettoized as only being relevant to ethnic minority populations, this essay reflects on how the symmetry between psychoanalytic thought and African spirituality and cosmology can function as a formidable psychospiritual framework for spiritual care in the 21st-century authoritarian state. Full article

Adolescent suicide remains a critical public health concern, with rates continuing to rise globally. This study examined the role of strength development in mitigating suicide risk among youth receiving behavioral health services. Utilizing administrative data from a Midwestern state’s behavioral health authority, the study analyzed 391 adolescents aged 13–19 years (M = 16.34, SD = 1.51), including 244 girls (62.4%) and 147 boys (37.6%), who presented with recent suicidal ideation or behavior. Strength indicators included family strengths, interpersonal skills, optimism, educational support, vocational skills, talents and interests, spiritual or religious strengths, community involvement, relationship permanence, youth involvement in care, and natural supports. Latent Profile Transition Analyses identified two distinct strength groups: “usable strengths,” representing readily accessible protective factors, and “buildable strengths,” representing strengths requiring further development. Findings indicated that adolescents who transitioned from buildable to usable strengths experienced significantly lower suicide risk. Youth who maintained usable strengths across treatment also demonstrated substantially lower odds of suicide risk. Longer treatment duration was associated with lower suicide risk, whereas shorter treatment stays corresponded with elevated risk. Logistic regression analyses confirmed that maintaining or developing strengths related to social relationships, community connections, and supportive environments served as significant protective factors. These findings underscore the importance of integrating strength-based, relationship-centered, and community-informed approaches into behavioral health services to support resilience and reduce suicide risk among adolescents. Full article

On behalf of the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology, we are pleased to present the abstracts from the 2026 Annual Conference, titled “A New Horizon: Expanding the Access and Impact of Psychosocial Oncology”. The 41st Annual CAPO Conference was held in St. John’s, Newfoundland from 8 June 2026 to 9 June 2026. As we stand at a new horizon in psychosocial oncology, we recognize the unprecedented opportunities to expand both the access to and the impact of comprehensive cancer care. This conference will explore innovative strategies for breaking down traditional barriers that have historically limited access to psychosocial support, including geographic isolation, resource constraints, cultural disparities, and systemic inequities in healthcare delivery. This expansion of reach and influence represents not merely growth in service numbers, but a fundamental transformation in how we conceptualize, design, and implement patient-centered psychosocial care across diverse communities and care settings. We will explore scalable solutions that amplify impact while maintaining the deeply personal, human-centered approach that defines excellence in psychosocial oncology. From telehealth innovations and peer support networks to community-based interventions and integrated care models, this conference will showcase evidence-based strategies that expand our collective ability to support individuals and families navigating the cancer journey, wherever they may be. This conference brought together key stakeholders including multidisciplinary professionals from nursing, psychology, psychiatry, social work, spiritual care, nutrition, medicine, rehabilitation medicine, occupational health and radiation therapy for both adult and pediatric populations. Participants included clinicians, researchers, educators in cancer care, community-based organizations and patient representatives. Patients, caregivers and family members presented abstracts that speak to their role in managing cancer experiences and care. Over one-hundred and fifty (150) abstracts were submitted for presentation as symposia, 20 min oral presentations, 10 min oral presentations, 90 min workshops and poster presentations. We congratulate all the presenters on their research work and contributions. Full article