ABSTRACT
Relationships between religion, spirituality, and health are drawing increasing attention from the scientific community, as reflected in growing numbers of publications in major biomedical, public health, and social science journals over the past decade. In the United States, the National Institutes of Health recently published a panel report on the topic as a special issue of American Psychologist and requested funding applications for studies of spirituality and alcohol abuse. Special issues of other scientific journals have also focused on the topic, and more than half of U.S. medical schools now offer course material on religion, spirituality, and health. The American Psychological Association has published books about the implications of religious perspectives for psychological science, including implications for physical health and health psychology.
