The Spiritual-Religious Support in Patients with Schizophrenia

Aim: To examine the influence of spiritual-religious support in schizophrenia patients on the experience of God, superstition, and illness. Methods: The research was conducted from January 2021 to December 2022 on 117 patients with schizophrenia during a two-month treatment period. A self-assessment questionnaire examined the subjective experiences of God, superstition, and illness. The trial was conducted at hospital admission and after two months of integrative psychiatric treatment with spiritual-religious support. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in belief in the existence of God after treatment versus responses at admission (62% vs 75%, P=0.05). There was also no significant statistical difference in admission in the inquiry's results about what kind of God the respondents believed in (P=0.51). Compared to admission, statistically significantly fewer respondents are superstitious (P = 0.02), and statistically fewer respondents are perceived as sick (41% vs. 58.1%, P = 0.001). Conclusion: Spiritual-religious support for patients with schizophrenia helps with spiritual questions and religious doubts, contributes to belief in God as a benevolent higher power, and reduces beliefs in the influence of a negative higher power as the cause of illness and personal impotence. It is one way of psychological intervention towards more adequate thought processes and contributes to recovery from the disease. Keywords: schizophrenia; spirituality; religiosity; superstition