Spiritually Informed Interventions and Psychotic Disorders: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Purpose: Including spirituality in the treatment of psychosis is controversial. To determine the effect of incorporating spirituality into treatment, we conducted a systematic review of spiritually informed interventions with persons with psychotic disorders (PPD). Methods: A search of 15 electronic databases was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials that used spiritually informed interventions with PPD. Results: Of 4,317 papers examined, seven studies met eligibility criteria. A narrative review revealed that the use of spiritually informed interventions was significantly associated with positive outcomes across all seven studies. Supplementary quantitative analysis indicated that the use of spiritually informed interventions was associated with significantly and clinically meaningful lower levels of psychosis symptoms (Hedges’s g = 1.06, 95% confidence interval [0.46, 1.66], p =.001). Discussion: The results suggest that social workers and other mental health providers should consider incorporating client spirituality into treatment protocols when working with PPD.