Assessment, Statistics, and Research

Completing a set of scales is not always the best way to assess spirituality at the beginning of psychotherapy. Nevertheless, I agree with others (e.g., Richards, et al., 2015; Worthington et al., 1996) that the assessment of spirituality is important to counseling and psychotherapy because so many people report that their faith is important to them and many prefer to receive psychotherapy from someone who shares their faith or at least respects their faith. The assessment of spirituality in the context of psychotherapy should also be in the context of other assessment such as within the SCOPES model where spirituality, if important to a patient, is usually a part of the self-identity and interconnected with their emotions, thoughts, social relationships, and personality ( See the SCOPES model for details ). In this post, I will review suggestions from Richards et al. (2015) and include a link to other posts containing measures from which clinicians can draw questions to use in clinic

  Scale name: Measure of Atheist Discrimination Experiences Scale overview: The 24-item Measure of Atheist Discrimination Experiences (MADE) was designed to evaluate the stress experiences of people who identify as atheists using a 6-point rating scale. Authors: Brewster, M. E., Hammer, J., Sawyer, J. S., Eklund, A., & Palamar, J. Response Type:   6-point Likert-type; 1 = never, 6 = almost all of the time Subscales: There are five factors Immoral Bringing Shame Asked to Pass Overt Maltreatment Social Ostracism   Sample items Immoral - I have been told that, as an atheist, I cannot be a moral person.   Bringing Shame - I have been told that I am selfish because I am atheist.   Asked to Pass - I have been asked to go along with religious traditions to avoid “stirring up trouble.”   Overt Maltreatment - People have denied me services because of my atheism.   Social Ostracism - Because of my atheism, others have avoided me.     Reliabil

  Scale name: Partner-Focused Prayer Measure Scale overview: The Partner-Focused Prayer Measure is a 4-item, 5-point rating scale evaluating the frequency of prayer for one’s partner as a part of a study relating partner prayer to infidelity. Authors: Frank D. Fincham and Nathaniel M. Lambert, The Florida State University, Steven R. H. Beach, University of Georgia Response Type : The Partner-Focused Prayer Measure uses a 5 point scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (very frequently). Sample items : 3. I ask God to watch over my partner. 4. I pray for my partner to reach his/her goals Reliability: Alpha = .96. Validity: The content of the scale appears to accomplish its purpose and it was useful in the study. Availability: The full set of 4 items is on page 2 of the PsycTESTS entry. Permissions Test content may be reproduced and used for non-commercial research and educational purposes without seeking written permission. Distribution must be controlled, meaning onl

  Scale name: Prayer Inventory Scale overview: The Prayer Inventory is a 24-item rating scale. Authors: Bänziger, S., van Uden, M., & Janssen, J. Response Type: The items are rated on a 7-point scale  (Never=  1; Occasionally=2; Sometimes=3; Regularly=4;  Often=5; Very often=6; Always=7). Sample items             4. In my prayers, I ask for forgiveness 14. Difficult moments are a reason to pray Reliability and Validity: See the 2008 article for details. Availability: The 24-items are available in the PsyTESTS reference. Permissions : PsycTESTS, advises contact of the publisher and corresponding author.   References Bänziger, S., van Uden, M., & Janssen, J. (2008). Prayer Inventory [Database record]. Retrieved from PsycTESTS . doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/t41613-000 Bänziger, Sarah, van Uden, Marinus, & Janssen, Jacques. (2008). Praying and coping: The relation between varieties of praying and religious coping styles. Mental Health, Religio

  Scale name:    Behaviors Toward God Scale (BTGS) Scale overview: The Behaviors Toward God Scale (BTGS) is an 18-item self-report measure of  behavioral  responses toward God when people experience a spiritual or religious struggle. The items are grouped into four subscales. Authors: Julie J. Exline et al. (2021) Response Type:    Participants read a statement and rate their behavioral response from 0 = not at all to 10 = extremely. Subscales: Four (sample item in parentheses) 1. Approach – draw close (tried to trust God) 2. Disengage - turn away or exit (ignored God) 3. Protest-   complain, argue, or question (asked God "Why?") 4. Suppress – avoid or minimize negative feelings toward God (tried to hide feelings of anger or disappointment toward God)   Reliability: alpha values for the four subscales ranged from .80 to .89 in study 1 and .79 to .91 in study 2 (Exline et al., 2021) Validity: The Exline  et al. 2021 article includes the results of fact

  Scale name: Perceived Conflict between Evolution and Religion (PCoRE) Scale overview: Authors: M. Elizabeth Barnes, K. Supriya, Yi Zheng, Julie A. Roberts, and Sara E. Brownell Response Type: Participants rate each item on a 5-point Likert-type scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree.   Subscales with a sample item: There are four subscales as follows:   1. Perceived conflict between evolution and belief in God My belief in God makes it harder to believe that all of life on Earth evolved from ancient microscopic life.   2 . Perceived conflict between evolution and religious teachings The teachings of my religion contradict that all of life on Earth evolved from ancient microscopic life.   3 . Perceived conflict with evolution among religious community My religious community does not believe that all of life on Earth evolved from ancient microscopic life.   4. Perceived conflict between evolution and religious beliefs My personal religious belief