Children's spirituality: a systematic review

Article Sidebar

PDF (Português (Brasil))
Published: May 25, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5752/P.2175-5841.2022v20n62e206206
Keywords:
Spirituality, Inventory, Sistematic Review, Children

Main Article Content

Helena Brandão
UNASP-EC
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2018-202X
Roberta Rodrigues de Oliveira Guimarães
CENTRO UNIVERSITÁRIO ADVENTISTA SÃO PAULO - UNASP-EC
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0036-562X

Abstract

Spirituality is not only present in adults. Children have spontaneous and genuine experiences with the sacred. This research aimed to conduct a systematic review of the literature to access studies on Children's Spirituality. To this end, a survey was carried out in the databases: CAPES, SCIELO and ERIC in the period from 2010 to 2020. Studies were included that evaluated some facet of spirituality in children and adolescents, published in English, Portuguese, or Spanish, in the period between 2010 and 2020. Of the 380 articles identified, after initial exclusions, 80 were classified for complete reading and 15 for qualitative analysis. It was seen that there are still few studies on children's spirituality, mainly in Brazil, and most studies used interviews for data collection.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
HELENA BRANDÃO; GUIMARÃES, Roberta Rodrigues de Oliveira. Children’s spirituality: a systematic review. HORIZONTE - Journal of Studies in Theology and Religious Sciences, Belo Horizonte, v. 20, n. 62, p. e206206, 2023. DOI: 10.5752/P.2175-5841.2022v20n62e206206. Disponível em: https://periodicos.pucminas.br/horizonte/article/view/26080. Acesso em: 21 sep. 2025.
Issue
v. 20, n. 62, maio/ago. 2022 - Dossiê - Espiritualidade e Saúde II
Section
Artigos/Articles: Dossiê/Dossier

There is access to:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms. Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

I acknowledge that Horizonte is licensed under a CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE - ATTRIBUTION 4.0 INTERNATIONAL (CC BY 4.0):

Licença Creative Commons

Author Biography

Helena Brandão, UNASP-EC

Helena Brandão Viana concluiu a Graduação em educação fisica pela Universidade Estadual de Campinas em 1989. Cursou mestrado em educação fisica pela UNICAMP, concluido em 2003. Em seu doutorado estudou a temática da sexualidade na velhice, e para isto validou e adaptou culturalmente a escala ASKAS, para utilizacão na cultura brasileira e passou 4 meses na Simon Fraser University, em Vancouver, Canadá, onde cursou a disciplina "programas de promoção de saúde no envelhecimento" e teve como orientador internacional o Prof. Dr. Andrew Wister, diretor do departamento de gerontologia daquela universidade.Foi durante 5 anos coordenadora da da faculdade adventista da terceira idade e por 12 anos coordenadora do projeto feliz idade, de atividades física com idosos. Também foi professora titular no curso de educação física no UNASP-HT. Ministra aulas de metodologia de pesquisa em cursos de pós-graduação no unasp-HT. É professora permanente no mestrado em educação no UNASP-EC. Esteve como pesquisadora visitante na Simon Fraser University, Canada, na faculdade de educação, junto ao programa AGE-WELL, com a qual possui parceria de Pesquisa em dois projetos. Possui tambem uma parceria com a Andrews University nos EUA, para validação do GDI, Inventario para avaliar o crescimento espiritual.

References

ALLANA, A. R.; TENNANT, G.; PETRUCKA, P. Embedding spirituality in young children: an inter-generational challenge. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, v. 22, n. 3–4, p. 239–259, 2017.

ALLEN, G. E. K.; WANG, K. T. Examining religious commitment, perfectionism, scrupulosity, and well-being among LDS individuals. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, v. 18, n. 4, p. 246–258, 2015.

BECKER, A. P. S.; SILVA, J. D. DA. Concepções acerca da Religiosidade: a Perspectiva da Criança. Estudos e Pesquisas em Psicologia, Rio de Janeiro, v. 16, n. 3, p. 930–952, 2018.

BENEFIEL, M.; FRY, L. W.; GEIGLE, D. Spirituality and religion in the workplace: History, theory, and research. - ProQuest. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Washington, v. 6, n. 3, p. 175–187, 2014.

BERINŠTEROVÁ, M. Spirituality and natural mentoring relationship among adolescent girls and boys in Slovakia. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, Londres, v. 24, n. 2, p. 107–123, 2019.

BOFF, L. Espiritualidade: um caminho de transformação, Volume 1. [s.l.] Editora Sextante, 2001.

BOYNTON, H. M. Children’s spirituality: Epistemology and theory from various helping professions. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, Londres, v. 16, n. 2, p. 109–127, 2011.

BRUBAKER, J. R.; BEVERLY, E. A. Burnout, perceived stress, sleep quality, and smartphone use: A survey of osteopathic medical students. Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, Chicago, v. 120, n. 1, p. 6–17, 2020.

COHEN, M. Z. et al. A Platform for Nursing Research on Spirituality and Religiosity: Definitions and Measures. Western Journal of Nursing Research, Los Angeles, v. 34, n. 6, p. 795–817, 2012.

CORREIA, A. L. R. et al. Utilização da escala de avaliação da espiritualidade em pacientes portadores de lesão renal em hemodiálise. Cogitare Enfermagem, Paraná, v. 20, n. 3, p. 489–495, 2015.

CROSBY, R. G.; SMITH, E. I. Church Support as a Predictor of Children’s Spirituality and Prosocial Behavior. Journal of Psychology and Theology, Califórnia, v. 43, n. 4, p. 243–254, 2015.

DAVIS, D. E. et al. Development of the sources of spirituality scale. Journal of Counseling Psychology, Califórnia, v. 62, n. 3, p. 503–513, 2015.

DAVIS, E. B.; TISDALE, T. C. Enlarging the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality Research Paradigm : Introduction to the Special Section on Qualitative and Mixed Methods. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Washington, v. 8, n. 2, p. 89–91, 2016.

EXLINE, J. J. et al. The Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale: Development and Initial Validation. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Washington, v. 6, n. 3, p. 208–222, 2014.

FRADY, K. Rendering theology with 2-year-old children: a Godly Play and grounded theory combination. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, Londres, v. 24, n. 2, p. 183–201, 2019.

GALL, T. L.; MALETTE, J.; GUIRGUIS-YOUNGER, M. Spirituality and Religiousness: A Diversity of Definitions. Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health, v. 13, n. March, p. 158–181, 2011.

GARANITO, M. P.; CURY, M. R. G. A espiritualidade na prática pediátrica. Revista de Bioética, Brasília, v. 24, n. 1, p. 49–53, 2016.

GILLULY, S. et al. Spirituality and the whole child: interdisciplinary approaches. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, Londres, v. 22, n. 1, p. 102–103, 2017.

HELAND-KURZAK, K. A. Children’s creation of an image of God and religiosity–a pedagogical perspective. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, Londres, v. 24, n. 4, p. 434–446, 2019.

HILL, P. C.; PARGAMENT, K. I. Advances in the conceptualization and measurement of religion and spirituality: Implications for physical and mental health research. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Washington, v. S, n. 1, p. 3–17, 2003.

HLATSHWAYO, G. M.; MUTHUKRISHNA, N.; MARTIN, M. ‘Inhliziyo ekhombisa uthando’: Exploring children’s conceptions of spirituality. Journal of Psychology in Africa, Grahamstown, v. 28, n. 1, p. 56–61, 2018.

JAPAR, M.; PURWATI, P. Religiousity, Spirituality and Adolescents’ Self-Adjustment. International Education Studies, Ontario, v. 7, n. 10, 26 set. 2014.

JORGE, D. F. O.; ESGALHADO, G.; PEREIRA, H. Inteligência Espiritual: Propriedades psicométricas da Escala de Inteligência Espiritual Integrada (EIEI). Análise Psicológica, Porto, v. 34, n. 3, p. 325–337, 2016.

KANTEMBE, P. Affirming Childhood Spirituality of Hospitalized Immigrant Children. Journal fo Childhood and Religion, Louisville, v. 5, n. 4, p. 1–28, 2014.

KEATING, N. Children’s spirituality and the practice of meditation in Irish primary schools. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, Londres, v. 22, n. 1, p. 49–71, 2017.

KOTAMAN, H. Comparison of impact of religious and secular education on young children’s factuality judgments. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, Londres, v. 23, n. 4, p. 358–379, 2018.

LOVELOCK, P.; ADAMS, K. From darkness to light: children speak of divine encounter. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, Londres, v. 22, n. 1, p. 36–48, 2017.

MARTINS, A. R. et al. Translation and adaptation of the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale in Portuguese palliative care nurses. Traducción y adaptación de la Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale en enfermeros portugueses de cuidados paliativos, v. 8, n. 1, p. 89–97, 2015.

MENESES DUARTE, F.; DA SILVA WANDERLEY, K. Religiao e espiritualidade de idosos internados em uma enfermaria geriatrica. Psicologia: Teoria e Pesquisa, Brasília, v. 27, n. 1, p. 49, 2011.

MILLIMAN, J.; GATLING, A.; BRADLEY-GEIST, J. C. The Implications of Workplace Spirituality for Person–Environment Fit Theory. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Washington, v. 9, n. 1, p. 1–12, 2017.

MOHER, D. et al. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. PLoS Medicine, Califórnia, v. 6, n. 7, p. e1000097, 2009.

MOHER, D. et al. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. International Journal of Surgery, v. 8, n. 5, p. 336–341, 2010.

MOORE, K. et al. Children’s spiritual lives: The development of a children’s spirituality measure. Religions, Basel, v. 7, n. 8, p. 1–11, 2016.

MORTON, K. R.; LEE, J. W.; MARTIN, L. R. Pathways From Religion to Health : Mediation by Psychosocial and Lifestyle Mechanisms. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Washington, v. 9, n. 1, p. 106–117, 2017.

MOTA, S. G. As Fronteiras Da Fé Na Criança : Descobrindo As Relações Socio-Religiosas. [s.l.] UNIMEP, 2005.

MUELLER, C. R. Spirituality in children: understanding and developing interventions. Pediatric nursing, Chicago, v. 36, n. 4, 2010.

NADAN, Y.; GANZ, Z. Perspectives of ultra-Orthodox children in Israel on risk and protection: The intersection of culture, religion, spirituality, and socio-political context. Childhood, v. 25, n. 3, p. 325–339, 2018.

NORTJÉ, E.; VAN DER MERWE, L. Young children and spirituality: Understanding childrens connectedness in a group music class. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, Londres, v. 21, n. 1, p. 3–18, 2016.

PADILLA- RACERO, D. Las iniciativas de consumo responsable como espacios de innovación comunitaria y aprendizaje social. Revista de Estudios e Investigación en Psicologia y Educación, v. 2014, n. 14, p. 10–14, 2015.

PANDYA, S. P. Spirituality for Building Resilience in Children of Divorced Parents: A Cross-Country Experimental Study. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, v. 58, n. 6, p. 447–468, 2017a.

PANDYA, S. P. Effect of a spiritual education programme in developing altruism and prosocial behaviour among children. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, Londres, v. 22, n. 3–4, p. 220–238, 2017b.

PIEDMONT, R. L.; LEACH, M. M. Cross-Cultural Generalizability of the Spiritual Transcendence Scale in India: Spirituality as a Universal Aspect of Human Experience. American Behavioral Scientist, v. 45, n. 12, p. 1888–1901, 2002.

PIETRUKOWICZ, M. C. L. C. APOIO SOCIAL E RELIGIÃO: UMA FORMA DE ENFRENTAMENTO DOS PROBLEMAS DE SAÚDE. Dissertação Apresentada à Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Fundação Oswaldo Cruz Como, p. 114, 2001.

POMYTKINA, L. et al. Empirical studies of socio-psychological conditions of formation of ideas about the spiritual ideal in primary school children. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, Londres, v. 24, n. 4, p. 371–388, 2019.

RICKHI, B. et al. Evaluation of a spirituality informed e-mental health tool as an intervention for major depressive disorder in adolescents and young adults - a randomized controlled pilot trial. BMC complementary and alternative medicine, v. 15, n. 1, p. 450, 2015.

SAGBERG, S. Taking a children’s rights perspective on children’s spirituality. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, v. 22, n. 1, p. 24–35, 2017.

SAROGLOU, V.; MUÑOZ-GARCÍA, A. Individual differences in religion and spirituality: An issue of personality traits and/or values. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, v. 47, n. 1, p. 83–101, 2008.

WILLS, R. J. Creating the condition for doubt. How might questioning and critical thinking inspire children’s spiritual development? International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, v. 24, n. 4, p. 341–355, 2019.

YENDORK, J. S.; SOMHLABA, N. Z. “i am Happy because of God”: Religion and Spirituality for Well-Being in Ghanaian Orphanage-Placed Children. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, v. 9, p. S32–S39, 2017.

ZINNBAUER, B. J. et al. Religion and Spirituality Unfuzzying the Fuzzy. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, v. 36, n. 4, p. 549–564, 1997.