Measures of religion and spirituality in dementia: An integrative review

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Abstract
Introduction: Literature on the association of religion and spirituality (R/S) and health is growing. However, it is unclear how R/S affects outcomes and is assessed in persons with dementia (PWDs). In this integrative review, we evaluate published R/S measures and synthesize R/S findings for PWDs. Methods: We searched five databases (ATLA Religion, CINAHL, PsychInfo, PubMed, SocIndex) and identified 14 of 1043 studies for review. We assess the studies’ information, quality, measures, and results. Results: We identified 17 measures for R/S: six were adapted for use with PWDs and only two were validated for PWDs; most studies reported only measures’ reliability, with Cronbach's alpha. The studies’ findings support significant positive associations between R/S and cognitive function and negative associations between R/S and depression and behavioral expressions. Discussion: The two validated scales indicated acceptable validity with overall good reliability. Nevertheless, diverse samples and rigorous study designs are needed to improve R/S measures and to examine associations over time for PWDs. Highlights: Few scales for measuring religion and spirituality (R/S) have been validated in persons with dementia (PWD); additional testing is needed. Most R/S measures only reported scale reliability with Cronbach's alpha. Studies supported positive associations between R/S and health yet few studies exist. conducted. Only one spiritual intervention, spiritual reminiscence, was found for PWD. More rigorous R/S studies are needed to examine health outcomes in dementia.

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