Assessing the feasibility of a spiritual healing intervention for adults with moderate depression: A pilot randomized controlled trial

IF 3.3 3区医学 Q1 INTEGRATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

Complementary therapies in medicine Pub Date : 2025-01-27 DOI:10.1016/j.ctim.2025.103133

Trine Stub , Anne Helen Hansen , Audun Campell Irgens , Olav Knudsen-Baas , Agnete E. Kristoffersen

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Many individuals with depression explore complementary and alternative medicine, including spiritual healing. This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to assess the feasibility of a study that integrated spiritual healing with standard care versus standard care alone for adults with moderate depression.

Method

In this pilot RCT with two parallel groups, 28 adult patients with depression were randomized to receive either spiritual healing alongside usual care (n = 14) or usual care alone (n = 14). The healing session was highly individualized. The healer positioned her hands over various areas of the client's body (head, chest, knee, hip, and feet) intending to adjust the energy flow within the client. Outcomes were measured by changes in the Beck Depression Inventory for Primary Care (BDI) scores pre-and post-intervention. Participants' experiences with spiritual healing were explored through a process evaluation. .

Results

The BDI scores captured significant changes in depression severity, with the intervention group showing the greatest mean difference from baseline (BDI 23.0) to week 16 (BDI 14.9), compared to the control group which worsened from baseline (BDI 24.2) to week 16 (BDI 26.7). In addition, participants expressed satisfaction with the study components and procedures, and all completed the questionnaires at designated times. Recruiting from clinical practice proved suboptimal due to conflicts with primary care physicians' schedules leading to fewer participants in the study than planned. Measures to minimize loss to follow-up were effective.

Conclusion

Spiritual healing may be a beneficial option for individuals who suffer from moderate depression. The participants in this study were satisfied with the spiritual healing treatment, and adherence rates were high. Future RCTs should consider recruiting participants through different avenues to enhance research feasibility to alleviate the burden on family care physicians' offices.

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来源期刊

Complementary therapies in medicine 医学-全科医学与补充医学

CiteScore

8.60

自引率

2.80%

发文量

101

审稿时长

112 days

期刊介绍： Complementary Therapies in Medicine is an international, peer-reviewed journal that has considerable appeal to anyone who seeks objective and critical information on complementary therapies or who wishes to deepen their understanding of these approaches. It will be of particular interest to healthcare practitioners including family practitioners, complementary therapists, nurses, and physiotherapists; to academics including social scientists and CAM researchers; to healthcare managers; and to patients. Complementary Therapies in Medicine aims to publish valid, relevant and rigorous research and serious discussion articles with the main purpose of improving healthcare.