SPIRITIST INVOLVEMENT AS A THEORETICAL, CLINICAL, AND PSYCHOMETRIC CATEGORY IN MENTAL HEALTH

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Published Oct 28, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v13i10.7042

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Main Article Content

Tiago Medeiros Sales
Psychiatrist. PhD in Public Health, Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Brazil.
Rosa Maria Salani Mota
Statistician. PhD in Public Health, UFC. Professor at State University of Ceará (UECE), Brazil.
Raimunda Hermelinda Maia Macena
Nurse. PhD in Medical Sciences, UFC. Professor at Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Brazil.

Abstract

This article presents Spiritist Involvement as a theoretical, clinical, and psychometric category in the field of mental health through the development and validation of the Spiritist Involvement Form (FENE). The instrument was created based on a theoretical review, expert evaluation, and pilot testing, and applied in a cross-sectional study with 848 participants in the state of Ceará during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicated that higher levels of spiritist involvement were associated with lower prevalence of severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidal ideation. In multivariate analysis, participants with regular to very high spiritist involvement before the pandemic had a 62% reduction in the likelihood of severe suicidal ideation during the pandemic (OR = 0.38; 95% CI: 0.16-0.90). The FENE demonstrated theoretical, semantic, and empirical validity, enabling the measurement of Spiritist Involvement as a continuous variable, relevant for clinical and epidemiological research, as well as for planning culturally sensitive mental health public policies.

Keywords: spirituality; Spiritism; mental health; suicidal ideation; psychometric instrument.

Article Details

How to Cite
SALES, Tiago Medeiros; MOTA, Rosa Maria Salani; MACENA, Raimunda Hermelinda Maia. SPIRITIST INVOLVEMENT AS A THEORETICAL, CLINICAL, AND PSYCHOMETRIC CATEGORY IN MENTAL HEALTH. Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 13, n. 10, oct. 2025. ISSN 2375-1924. Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/7042>. Date accessed: 15 nov. 2025. doi: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v13i10.7042.
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Issue
Vol 13 No 10 (2025): Vol.13, Issue 10, October 2025
Section
Research Articles

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