Cotton, S., Yi, M. S., & Weekes, J. C. (2013). The interface among spirituality, religion, and illness in families of children with special health care needs. In K. I. Pargament, A. Mahoney, & E. P. Shafranske (Eds.), APA handbooks in psychology. APA handbook of psychology, religion, and spirituality (Vol. 2): An applied psychology of religion and spirituality (pp. 405-419). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/14046-021
This chapter reviews theory, research, and practice on ways that religion and spirituality could potentially reduce or intensify distress in the lifes ofyouth who have special health care needs. In this chapter, we initially discuss relevant theoretical models and empirical studies. We then translate available findings into practical examples of how religiousness and spirituality can be integrated into clinical work with children with special health care needs (CSHCN) and their families, using hypothetical case examples to illustrate key points. Because the family system plays essential roles in children’s adaptation to illness, we also discuss the effect religiousness and spirituality may have on parents and caregivers. Given the extensive body of research on family functioning in coping with CSHCN, we refer the reader to the work of Kazak, Rourke, and Crump (2003) for a summary of this literature, restricting ourselves to reviewing general models of coping with CSHCN because this provides a context to consider where religiousness and spirituality may fit best conceptually into the broader field. In addition, we briefly review Pargament’s (1997) seminal work on models of religious coping and specifically how they apply to families with CSHCN. Before concluding, we highlight various unanswered key questions, limitations of previous work, methodological challenges inherent in this type of research, and suggestions for strengthening future work. We conclude with recommendations to advance research and practice on the interface between religiousness, spirituality, and CSHCN. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)