Introduction: There is a gap in healthcare literature related to the spiritual competence of physicians and nurses practicing in South Asian Muslim communities. To fill that gap, the Spiritual Care Competence Questionnaire (SCCQ) was applied which was developed to address multi-professional spiritual care competences. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study among 294 health professionals (61% physicians, 17% nurses, and 22% other professions) in 10 hospitals in Punjab, Pakistan. Results: The highest scoring competences were “Dealing with patients/Communication competences”, while “Team Spirit” scored lowest. There were no gender related differences, but there were effects related to professions. “Team Spirit”, “Dealing with patients/Communication competences”, and “Empowerment competences” scored significantly higher in nurses as compared to physicians and other health care professionals, while there were no significant differences for their “Perception/Documentation competences”. These competences were not relevantly related to the intensity of their prayer/meditation activity. Conclusions: Health care professional from Punjab were preferred to tolerate the pain and the suffering of patients and their relatives rather than to talk about spiritual care issues. Their spiritual care competences were less developed. Thus, there is a clear need for further specific education and training of health professionals.

Der Begriff „Gottesbild“ hat seine Wurzeln in der biblischen Anthropologie: Der Mensch ist der ausschließliche zælæm (lebendige Statue) des Schöpfers. Folglich sind keine Idole oder physischen Gottesbilder erlaubt. Mentale Repräsentationen der Beziehung eines Individuums zu Gott, zu einer anderen transzendenten Figur oder zum Heiligen haben eine affektive, implizite, weitgehend unbewusste Komponente (oft Gottesbild genannt) und eine kognitive, explizite, propositionale Komponente (oft Gotteskonzept genannt). Das Verständnis des Gottesbildes psychisch Kranker sollte sich nicht auf die Abweichung vom vermeintlich „guten und richtigen“ Gottesbild (normativer Bias) konzentrieren, sondern vielmehr auf die wahrgenommene Diskrepanz zwischen dem persönlichen und dem normativen Gottesbild. Bei religiösen Wahnvorstellungen und anderen Psychopathologien kann das Gottesbild Teil des Problems (z. B. in Verbindung mit Wut und Angst) oder Teil der Lösung (z. B. Bewältigung durch spirituelle Erzählungen) sein. Was die religiösen, kulturellen, sozialen und psychopathologischen Normativitäten betrifft, sollte Spiritual Care eine wohlwollende Neutralität wahren und die spirituelle Suche des Patienten und seine sich entwickelnde Gottes-Imagination begleiten. The term “God-image“ roots in biblical anthropology: The human being is the Creator’s exclusive zælæm (living statue). Consequently, no idols or physical God-representations are permitted. Mental representations of an individual’s relationship with God, another transcendent figure, or the sacred have an affective, implicit, largely unconscious component (often called God image) and a cognitive, explicit, propositional component (often called God concept). The understanding of mental ills’ God-image should not focus on deviance from the alleged “good and right” God-image (normativity bias) but rather on the perceived discrepancy between the personal and the normative God-image. In religious delusion and other psychopathologies, the God-image may be part of the problem (e. g., associated with anger and anxiety) or part of the solution (e. g., coping by spiritual narratives). As far as religious, cultural, social, and psychopathological normativities are concerned, spiritual care should maintain a benevolent neutrality and accompany the patient’s spiritual quest and his or her developing God-imagination. Article published online: 01 December 2022 © 2022. Thieme. All rights reserved. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

Article Selbstsorge was published on February 11, 2020 in the journal Spiritual Care (volume 0, issue 0).