Spiritual Healthcare Science™ Research
Advancing Whole-Person Care Through Interdisciplinary Inquiry
Spiritual Healthcare Science™ Research is an emerging, interdisciplinary field of study dedicated to understanding, measuring, and integrating the spiritual dimension of human life into healthcare, behavioral health, leadership development, and community well-being. It examines how spiritual beliefs, meaning-making processes, moral frameworks, values, identity, and transcendent experiences influence health outcomes, resilience, decision-making, performance, and quality of life.
Rooted in established disciplines—including healthcare chaplaincy, psychology, social work, neuroscience, ethics, public health, and spiritual formation—Spiritual Healthcare Science™ moves beyond abstract spirituality to examine how spiritual health functions as a measurable, actionable, and clinically relevant domain of care.
Research Focus Areas
Spiritual Healthcare Science™ Research explores:
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The relationship between spiritual health and mental, emotional, physical, and relational well-being
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Spiritual coping, meaning-making, and resilience during illness, trauma, grief, moral injury, and life transitions
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The role of spiritual identity, values, and belief systems in behavior change, leadership, and performance sustainability
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Evidence-informed spiritual assessment, interventions, and outcome measures
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Ethical, culturally responsive, and non-proselytizing models of spiritual care across diverse populations
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The integration of spiritual care alongside medical, psychological, and social services within interdisciplinary systems
Methodological Approach
Spiritual Healthcare Science™ Research employs mixed-methods inquiry, including:
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Quantitative research (outcome studies, correlational analysis, psychometric development)
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Qualitative research (phenomenological studies, narrative analysis, lived-experience inquiry)
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Program evaluation and implementation science
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Clinical observation and practice-based evidence
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Translational research bridging theory, practice, and policy
This approach ensures that spiritual care is examined with the same rigor, ethical standards, and accountability applied to other healthcare disciplines.
Purpose and Impact
The goal of Spiritual Healthcare Science™ Research is to:
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Establish spiritual health as a legitimate and essential dimension of whole-person care
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Inform evidence-based spiritual care practices in clinical, community, educational, and organizational settings
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Support clinicians, chaplains, leaders, and institutions in delivering spiritually informed, person-centered care
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Contribute to healthcare innovation, workforce resilience, leadership sustainability, and community flourishing
Spiritual Healthcare Science™ Research affirms that spiritual health is not peripheral to human functioning—it is foundational. By grounding spiritual care in research, ethics, and interdisciplinary collaboration, this field advances a more complete, humane, and effective approach to health and human development.
Research Mission
The mission of Spiritual Healthcare Science™ Research is to advance the scientific, ethical, and interdisciplinary study of spiritual health as a foundational dimension of whole-person care. This research seeks to develop evidence-informed frameworks, assessment tools, and practice models that clarify how spiritual beliefs, values, meaning-making, and identity influence health, resilience, leadership, and human flourishing across clinical, organizational, and community settings.
Research Vision
The vision of Spiritual Healthcare Science™ Research is a future in which spiritual health is recognized, measured, and integrated with the same rigor, legitimacy, and accountability as mental, emotional, and physical health—within healthcare systems, professional education, leadership development, and public policy.
This vision affirms spiritual care as:
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Professionally grounded
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Ethically delivered
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Culturally responsive
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Evidence-informed
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Accessible across diverse belief systems
Through ongoing research, training, and dissemination, Spiritual Healthcare Science™ aims to shape the next generation of spiritually informed clinicians, chaplains, leaders, and institutions.
Future Research Initiatives
Spiritual Healthcare Science™ Research is actively developing and advancing research initiatives in the following areas:
1. Spiritual Health Assessment & Measurement
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Development of standardized spiritual health screening and assessment tools
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Psychometric validation of spiritual well-being, meaning, moral injury, and resilience constructs
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Integration of spiritual assessment into interdisciplinary care models
2. Spiritual Care Outcomes & Effectiveness
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Outcome-based studies examining the impact of spiritual care on stress, coping, grief, trauma recovery, and quality of life
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Program evaluation of spiritual care interventions in healthcare, community, and leadership settings
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Practice-based evidence from chaplaincy and spiritual healthcare consultations
3. Trauma, Moral Injury, & Meaning Reconstruction
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Research on spiritual dimensions of trauma, betrayal, loss, and identity disruption
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Moral injury in healthcare workers, military populations, leaders, and caregivers
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Meaning-making and post-traumatic growth through spiritually informed care
4. Leadership, Performance, & Vocational Sustainability
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The role of spiritual alignment in leadership effectiveness and burnout prevention
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Spiritual resilience in high-responsibility and high-stress roles
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Spirit-led decision-making, ethical clarity, and purpose-driven leadership
5. Education, Training, & Workforce Development
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Research-informed curriculum design for spiritual care education
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Competency development and evaluation in spiritual healthcare training programs
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Integration of spiritual healthcare education within academic and professional institutions
Alignment With Certified Spiritual Healthcare Chaplain™ Training
Spiritual Healthcare Science™ Research serves as the academic and empirical foundation for the Certified Spiritual Healthcare Chaplain™ training program.
The certification is not a standalone credential; it is a research-informed, year-long professional formation program grounded in Spiritual Healthcare Science™ principles. Training is designed to translate research into ethical, competent, and measurable spiritual care practice.
Research-to-Practice Integration
The Certified Spiritual Healthcare Chaplain™ training program is aligned with research in the following ways:
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Evidence-Informed Curriculum
Training content is shaped by current research in spiritual health, trauma, ethics, neuroscience, and behavioral science. -
Assessment-Driven Practice
Chaplains are trained to assess spiritual needs, strengths, and risks using structured, research-aligned frameworks rather than intuition alone. -
Ethical & Non-Proselytizing Care Models
Research informs boundaries, scope of practice, cultural humility, and inclusive spiritual care delivery. -
Outcome Awareness & Documentation
Chaplains are trained to articulate the impact of spiritual care through documentation, evaluation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. -
Professionalization of Spiritual Care
Research supports the elevation of spiritual healthcare as a legitimate discipline within clinical, educational, and organizational systems.
Through this alignment, Certified Spiritual Healthcare Chaplain™ training functions as an applied extension of Spiritual Healthcare Science™ Research—bridging scholarship, formation, and real-world impact.
Research Articles & Scholarly Resources
Articles shared are the intellectual property of their respective authors and publishers. Summaries and reflections are provided for educational, professional, and research-informed spiritual healthcare development.
Research Articles & Scholarly Resources
This section serves as a curated research library supporting the ongoing development of Spiritual Healthcare Science™. Articles shared here represent peer-reviewed research, academic scholarship, and evidence-informed perspectives relevant to spiritual health, whole-person care, resilience, trauma, leadership, and human flourishing.
Articles are selected to inform study, dialogue, and professional development across healthcare, behavioral health, chaplaincy, education, and leadership contexts.
Purpose of This Resource
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To centralize interdisciplinary research related to spiritual health
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To support evidence-informed spiritual care practice
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To encourage scholarly engagement and critical reflection
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To bridge research, training, and applied care
Inclusion of an article does not imply full endorsement of every conclusion, framework, or theological perspective. Articles are shared for educational and research purposes.
Research Highlight: Spirituality, Health, and Meaning in Clinical Contexts
This peer-reviewed article, published in the Journal of Religion and Health, contributes to the growing body of evidence affirming the role of spirituality in health, healing, and whole-person care. The authors explore how spiritual frameworks, meaning-making, and existential dimensions intersect with psychological and physical health outcomes—particularly in clinical and caregiving environments.
Research Highlight: Spirituality, Coping, and Whole-Person Well-Being
This peer-reviewed article, published through Wiley Online Library, examines the relationship between spirituality, coping mechanisms, and overall well-being. The authors explore how spiritual beliefs, practices, and meaning-making processes function as internal resources during stress, illness, adversity, and life disruption. The research highlights spirituality as a significant factor in emotional regulation, resilience, and adaptive coping.
Research Highlight: Chaplaincy, Spiritual Care, and Clinical Integration
This peer-reviewed article, published in the Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling, examines the evolving role of professional chaplaincy within healthcare systems and highlights the clinical, ethical, and relational contributions of spiritual care providers. The authors explore how chaplains function as interdisciplinary team members addressing spiritual distress, meaning-making, and existential concerns that often emerge during illness, trauma, and end-of-life care.
Research Highlight: Spirituality as a Resource for Coping and Meaning
This peer-reviewed article, published through Wiley Online Library, explores the role of spirituality as a coping resource in the face of stress, adversity, and life challenges. The authors examine how spiritual beliefs, practices, and meaning-making processes contribute to emotional regulation, resilience, and overall well-being. Rather than viewing coping solely as a psychological or behavioral process, the study highlights spirituality as a key interpretive framework through which individuals understand suffering, hope, and purpose.
The findings support spirituality as a meaningful dimension of human experience that shapes how people respond to uncertainty, loss, and transition.
Research Highlight: Spiritual Care as an Essential Dimension of Health
This peer-reviewed article, published by Religions through MDPI, explores the role of spirituality and spiritual care as an integral dimension of health, particularly within healthcare, caregiving, and human development contexts. The authors examine how spiritual beliefs, practices, and meaning-making processes influence coping, resilience, ethical decision-making, and overall well-being.
Rather than treating spirituality as an optional or secondary concern, the article positions spiritual care as a core component of holistic, person-centered health frameworks.
Research Highlight: Spiritual Care in Clinical Practice and Patient Well-Being
This peer-reviewed article, available through ClinicalKey, examines the role of spiritual care within clinical healthcare settings and its relevance to patient well-being, coping, and meaning during illness. The authors discuss how spiritual needs often surface alongside physical and emotional distress and how addressing these needs contributes to more comprehensive, person-centered care.