Spiritual/Religious Readjustments Among Iranian War Veterans.

There is growing evidence that the spiritual/religious (S/R) beliefs of war veterans change, even years after the war. Researchers need to explore these changes in different cultures and religions. This study therefore identified S/R changes in Iranian war veterans after three decades of war between Iran and Iraq. The participants were veterans (n = 14), their relatives (n = 5: wives [3] and children [2]), and service providers and decision and policymakers (n = 12) at the Foundation for Martyrs and Veterans' Affairs (N = 31) in Iran. We collected data with semistructured interviews and used an inductive approach to carry out thematic content analysis (Graneheim et al. in Nurse Education Today, 56, 29–34 2017). Two key themes emerged, namely, questioning S/R values and finding new S/R beliefs and concepts. Qualitative assessment of S/R status in Iranian war veterans should assist service providers in making referrals, evaluations, and interventions, which could include spiritual and culture-based care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pastoral Psychology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)