Journal for Christian reflections in the context of social sciences and humanities

Caritas et veritas 2023, 13(1):34-52 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2023.005

Experience with and attitudes towards spiritually attuned interventions in the context of grieving in the 21st century - preliminary findings among helping professionals in the Czech Republic

Jan Kaňák
University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, Faculty of Arts, Sedláčkova 15, 306 14 Plzeň

Context: Grief is a universal human experience. For some, grieving also includes a spiritual level that can be actively worked with.

Purpose of the study: Given the lack of information on spiritually attuned interventions in grief in the Czech Republic, the purpose of this study is to map the experiences with and attitudes towards spiritually oriented interventions among helping professionals working with the bereaved.

Methods: Data from a questionnaire survey (response rate 36.9%, N = 45) were analysed using univariate and bivariate descriptive and inferential statistics.

Conclusions: Interventions are perceived as moderately useful for the most part. Experience with them varies from 6.7% to 89% according to the specific intervention. More positive attitudes towards meaning-making interventions and higher experience with them might be expected in the population. Implication: the data point to the need to elaborate on good practice procedures and to further explore attitudes towards interventions, particularly concerning the degree of active treatment of spirituality, as well as their effectiveness (research implication).

Keywords: Grief, Mourning, Bereavement, Spirituality, Attitudes, Meaning-making, Transcendence

Received: November 23, 2022; Revised: November 23, 2022; Accepted: April 3, 2023; Prepublished online: November 28, 2023; Published: November 29, 2023  Show citation

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Kaňák, J. (2023). Experience with and attitudes towards spiritually attuned interventions in the context of grieving in the 21st century - preliminary findings among helping professionals in the Czech Republic. Caritas et veritas, 13(1), 34-52. doi: 10.32725/cetv.2023.005
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