Bridging Behavioral Health Gaps with
Spiritual/Religious Strengths
Have you ever wondered if there are concrete links between a youth’s positive resources and their hardships? In the helping profession, many questions arise about how a young person’s strengths, effectively the resources that can be used to overcome challenges, might influence the areas in a young person’s life that would benefit from support, i.e. their needs. Do talents and interests contribute positively to a child’s resilience? Do natural supports enhance a child’s social functioning skills? Can resourcefulness help reduce a child’s risk behaviors? These are noble questions that are appropriate for our mission, which are rooted deeply in our desire to help transform the lives of the individuals that we support.
Another such question you may have pondered is, what is the impact of spiritual religious strengths, if any, for youth that we serve? If you’ve ever been curious about this, then it is recommended that you check out this newly published article from the Children and Youth Services Review, Volume 164. September 2024 entitled Examining the impact of spirituality religious strength on behavioral and emotional health among youth with multiple adverse childhood experiences. The scholarly journal article was authored by Hyeeun K. Shin, Xiaoran Tong, Wiley Turner, and John S. Lyons.
The origin of this study and subsequent article stems from broad generalizations in the field as well as wide assumptions that spirituality, religion, and faith have positive effects on the human experience within the context of behavioral health needs. The study seeks to confirm how spiritual/religious strengths (SRS) protect youth physical and mental health and examine how past adverse experiences might influence this protective effect. The study analyzed data from 4,802 foster care youth aged 5-17 using the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment to examine the impact of spiritual/religious strengths (SRS), past trauma (4+ adverse childhood experiences), and their combination on physical and mental unwellness, as measured by behavioral and emotional needs. The findings suggest that spiritual/religious strength enhances well-being in foster care youth, but high levels of trauma can diminish this benefit and may lead to worse outcomes. This aligns with existing research and highlights the need for trauma-informed interventions that address spiritual/religious strengths in affected youth.
The full article can be accessed by clicking on the following link and adhering to the prompts within the journal… https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107847
Please let us know your thoughts on the links between spiritual/religious strengths and higher levels of well being and health for children and youth.
Join Us At
The 2024 Annual TCOM Conference
