WJC09 Session 5 - Theodicy and Spiritual Distress: Implications for Chaplaincy Practice

Description:

Overview:
As among many types of trauma survivors, chaplaincy care for veterans requires awareness of the complex interplay between anxiety, post-traumatic stress, depression, and religious/spiritual beliefs. The ways a person interprets the role of the divine, Higher Power, or God in their experiences may influence their level of distress and shape their recovery. Determining the most appropriate chaplaincy interventions requires careful consideration of potential for spiritual harm and ethical considerations about scope of practice including which providers (chaplains/ psychotherapists) are most well-suited to address these concerns. With an in-depth and informative overview of the literature on moral injury and an introduction to validated scales, this rich article discusses the association between retribution theodicy and spiritual distress.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the association between retribution theodicy and spiritual distress in a specific sample of U.S. military veterans
• Discuss ethical considerations when addressing theodicy concerns with patients

Reading:
Harris, J. I., Usset, T., & Cheng, Z. H. (2018). Theodicy and spiritual distress among veterans managing posttraumatic stress. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 5(4), 240

Presenters:
Rev. Marilyn J. D. Barnes MS MA MPH BCC, is a Vice President of Mission and Spiritual Care in the Advocate Aurora Health Care System in Illinois. She previously served as a Senior Staff Chaplain at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. She is a 2018 Transforming Chaplaincy Fellow graduate. Her research interests include the use of simulation in chaplaincy training and education, the impact of spiritual/religious coping on the association between discrimination and stress among midlife women, and the experiences of health care chaplains of color.

Cate Michelle Desjardins MDiv MPH, is the Executive Director of Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship and convener of the Pediatrics Spiritual Care Research Network. She previously served for five years in various roles at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Her research interests include the role of religion in surrogate decision-making and in coping with caregiving for children with complex medical needs. She completed the Transforming Chaplaincy Research Fellowship in 2019.

Rev. Shelley Varner-Perez MDiv MPH BCC CPH, is Senior Program Manager and Chaplain-Researcher at Indiana University (IU) Health, Indianapolis, as well as an Affiliated Research Scientist in the Center for Aging Research with the Regenstrief Institute. She previously served nine years as a chaplain at VA Portland Health Care System in Portland, Oregon. She completed the Transforming Chaplaincy Research Fellowship in 2019 at the conclusion of a Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology. Her research interests include spiritual care with family surrogate decision-makers and staff support following code blue events, as well as using art to engage those who are non-religious/unaffiliated.

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