To inform the development of a measure of non-religious spirituality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, this review examined studies utilising scales that assessed non-religious spirituality. We also investigated associations between nonreligious spirituality and health and identified the cultural groups in which these instruments had been validated. Across the 115 studies included, 28 spirituality tools were employed. A total of 50 health outcomes pertaining to physical health (34%) and psychological wellbeing (66%) were observed in their relationship to spirituality. The studies were conducted across 32 different countries, with the majority from the USA and involving White populations. Only seven studies used instruments developed for specific cultural groups. Future research is needed to enhance our understanding of how spirituality can be understood and measured in various cultural contexts.
Keywords: spirituality, health outcomes, Indigenous, measurement, scoping review
Download the full article (PDF)