Religion and spirituality in rehabilitation psychology

This article surveys the current attitudes of rehabilitation specialists regarding spirituality and religiousness. The existing data on the associations of spirituality and religiousness with measures of physical and mental health and well-being in people with disabilities are described. The role of religion-spirituality in the lives of caregivers for people with disabilities is addressed, as are professionals' attitudes toward considering patients' religious and spiritual involvement in the course of rehabilitation. Finally, the potential ways to use patients' spirituality and religiousness in assessment and intervention are discussed, and directions for future research are proposed.