TITLE:
Finding a Spiritual Home: A Pilot Study on the Effects of a Spirituality Retreat and Loneliness among Urban Homeless Adults
AUTHORS:
Joseph R. Ferrari, Thomas Drexler, Jordan Skarr
KEYWORDS:
Loneliness, Addiction, Homelessness, Retreats, Spirituality
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.6 No.3,
February
12,
2015
ABSTRACT: Social
agencies and services exist in urban settings for the physical needs of
homeless citizens. However, there exist few if any programs that feed the
spiritual needs of the homeless. In the present study, 35 women and 23 men
(55.9% African-American) competed short, reliable and valid self-report
measures on their levels of loneliness and addiction before and then again 6-month
post a weekend religious retreat. Results indicate that over time, participants
on the retreat reported significant decreases in loneliness. Women reported
significantly higher rates of loneliness at baseline and again at 6-month
follow-up, compared to men. It seems offering a group-based spiritual retreat
may impact the lives of homeless.