Spotlight Series: Dr. Kenneth Pargament
This week we are highlighting Dr. Kenneth Pargament, Co-Investigator of sub-project 1.
Dr. Pargament’s book outlines ways clinicians can approach clients’ RS struggles to produce positive outcomes for clients. Religious and spiritual (RS) struggles are strongly linked with psychological health issues in both the general population and in those with psychological diagnoses. There are a variety of presentations of RS struggles in mental healthcare yet many clinicians are untrained in how to navigate RS issues in practice.
In a meta-analysis, Dr. Pargament and researchers reviewed the existing research on whether religious and/or spiritual (RS) struggles correlate with psychological health issues. The literature reviewed indicates that RS struggles predict negative outcomes for psychological health. This finding exemplifies the need for addressing RS struggles within the domain of mental healthcare and for further investigation into the dynamics and directional influence between psychological health and RS struggles.
Read the full meta-analysis here:
Bockrath, M.F., Pargament, K.I., Wong, S., Harriott, V.A., Pomerleau, J.M., Homolka, S. J., Chaudhary, Z.B., & Exline, J.J. (2021). Religious and spiritual struggles and their links to psychological adjustment: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. Advance online publication.
Dr. Kenneth Pargament joins the CXMH podcast to talk about his work in how our religious and spiritual beliefs factor into how we cope with hard times in life. In the episode, he also discusses integrating spirituality into therapy, various styles of coping using religious beliefs, and more.
