Ongoing Studies
1) Religious vs. Conventional Psychotherapy for Major Depression in Patients with Chronic Illness (enrollment and study completed)
2) Effects of Stress, Psychosocial and Religious Factors on Health in Women Caregivers (enrollment and study completed)
3) Religiosity and Genetics in Relation to Substance Abuse (enrollment and study completed)
4) Spiritually Oriented Cognitive Processing Therapy for Moral Injury in Veterans with PTSD and Physical Injury (in development – seeking support – if you are able to help, click HERE and under GIFT DESIGNATION note “Please direct 100% of my gift to the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, fund code 391-7293, PTSD study”)
Recent Publications
Koenig HG, Perno K, Erkanli A, Hamilton T (2017). Effects of a 12-month educational intervention on clinicians’ attitudes/practices regarding the screening spiritual history. Southern Medical Journal 110 (6): 419-420
Koenig HG, Perno K, Hamilton T (2017). Effects of a 12-month educational intervention on outpatient clinicians’ attitudes/behaviors toward spiritual practices with patients. Advances in Medical Education and Practice 8:129-139
Koenig HG, Perno K, Hamilton T (2017). Integrating spirituality into outpatient practice in the Adventist Health System. Southern Medical Journal 110(1):1-7.
Koenig HG, Perno K, Hamilton T (2017). The spiritual history in outpatient practice: Attitudes and practices of health professionals in the Adventist Health System. BMC Medical Education 17:102 (DOI: 10.1186/s12909-017-0938-8)
VanderWeele T, Koenig HG (2017). A course on religion and public health at Harvard. American Journal of Public Health 107(1):47-49
Koenig HG (2016). Association of religious involvement and suicide (editorial). JAMA Psychiatry (formerly Archives of General Psychiatry) 73(8):775-776
Koenig HG, Boucher NA, Oliver JP, Youssef N, Mooney SR, Currier JM, Pearce MP (2017). Rationale for spiritually-oriented cognitive processing therapy for moral injury in active duty military and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 205(2):147-153
Koenig HG, Nelson B, Shaw SF, Saxena S, Cohen HJ (2016). Religious involvement and telomere length in women family caregivers. Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease 204(1):36-42
Koenig HG, Wang Z, Al Zaben F, Adi A (2015). Belief into Action Scale: A comprehensive and sensitive measure of religious involvement (Review). Religions 6(3):1006-1016
Koenig HG, Nelson B, Shaw SF, Al Zaben F, Wang Z, Saxena S (2015). Belief into Action scale: A brief but comprehensive measure of religious commitment. Open Journal of Psychiatry 5(1):66-77
Koenig HG, Cohen HJ, Nelson B, Shaw SF, Saxena S (2016). Religious involvement and adaptation in female family caregivers. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 64(3):578-83
Koenig HG (2015). Religion, spirituality and health: Review and update. Advances in Mind-BodyMedicine 29(3):19-26.
Koenig HG, Pearce MJ, Nelson B, Daher N (2015). Effects of religious vs. standard cognitive-behavioral therapy on optimism in persons with major depression and chronic medical illness. Depression and Anxiety, in press
Pearce MJ, Koenig HG, Robins CJ, Daher N, Shaw SF, Nelson B, Berk LS, Belinger D, Cohen HJ, King MB (2015). Effects of religious vs. conventional cognitive-behavioral therapy on generosity in major depression chronic medical illness: A randomized clinical trial. Spirituality in Clinical Practice 2(3):202-215
Koenig HG, Gutiérrez B, Cervilla J, Pearce MJ, Daher N, Nelson B, Shaw SF, Cohen HJ, KingMB (2015). Genes, religion, and response to religious vs conventional psychotherapy: A randomized clinical trial in medically ill patients with major depression. Austin Journal of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences 2(1): 1036
Pearce MJ, Koenig HG, Robins CJ, Nelson B, Shaw SF, Cohen HJ, King MB (2015). Religiously-integrated cognitive behavioral therapy: A new method of treatment for major depression in patients with chronic medical illness. Psychotherapy 52(1):56-66
Berk LS, Bellinger DL, Koenig HG, Daher N, Pearce MJ, Robins CJ, Nelson B, Shaw SF, Cohen HJ, King MB (2015). Effects of religious vs. conventional cognitive-behavioral therapy on inflammatory markers and stress hormones in major depression and chronic medical illness: A randomized clinical trial. Open Journal of Psychiatry 5(3): 238-259
Koenig HG, Pearce MJ, Nelson B, Shaw SF, Robins CJ, Daher N, Cohen HJ, King MB (2015). Effects of religious vs. standard cognitive behavioral therapy on therapeutic alliance: A randomized clinical trial. Psychotherapy Research, in press
Koenig HG, Pearce MJ, Nelson B, Shaw SF, Robins CJ, Daher N, Cohen HJ, Berk LS, Bellinger D, Pargament KI, Rosmarin DH, Vasegh S, Kristeller J, Juthani N, Nies D, King MB (2015). Religious vs. conventional cognitive-behavioral therapy for major depression in persons with chronic medical illness. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 203(4):243-251
Koenig HG (2014). The spiritual care team: Enabling the practice of whole person medicine. Religions 5(4), 1161-1174
Bellinger DL, Berk LS, Koenig HG, Daher N, Pearce MJ, Robins CJ, Nelson B, Shaw SF, Cohen HJ, King MB (2014). Religious involvement, inflammatory markers and stress hormones inmajor depression and chronic medical illness. Open Journal of Psychiatry 4(4):335-352
Hybels CF, George LK, Blazer DG, Pieper CF, Cohen HJ & Koenig HG (2014). Inflammation and coagulation as mediators in the relationships between religious attendance and functional limitations in older adults. Journal of Aging and Health 26(4):679-697
Koenig HG, Al-Zaben F, Sehlo MG, Khalifa DA,Al-Ahwal MS, Qureshi NA, Al-Habeeb AA (2014). Mental health care in Saudi Arabia: Past, present and future. Open Journal of Psychiatry 4(2):113-130
Koenig HG (2014). Depression in chronic illness: Does religion help? Journal of Christian Nursing 31(1): 40-46
Pearce MP, Koenig HG (2013). Cognitive behavioural therapy for the treatment of depression in Christian patients with medical illness. Mental Health, Religion and Culture 16(7):730-740
Reinhart K, Koenig HG (2013). Re-examining definitions of spirituality in nursing research. Journal of Advanced Nursing 69(12):2622-34
Bonelli RM, Koenig HG (2013). Mental disorders, religion, and spirituality 1990-2010: A systematic evidence-based review. Journal of Religion and Health 52 (2):657-673
Koenig HG, Al Zaben F (2013). Private religious activities and cardiovascular risk. Annals of Epidemiology 23(5):246-7
Luchesse FA, Koenig HG (2013). Religion, spirituality and cardiovascular disease: research, clinical implications, and opportunities in Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery 28(1):103-128
Dalmida SG, Koenig HG, Holstad MM, Wirani MM (2013). The psychological well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS and the role of religious coping and social support. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine 46(1):57-83.
Koenig HG, Al Zaben F, Sehlo MG, Khalifa DA, Shaheen Al Ahwal M (2013). Current state of psychiatry in Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine 46(3):223-242
George LK, Kinghorn WA, Koenig HG, Verhey A, Gammon P, Blazer DG (2013). Why should gerontologists care about empirical research in spirituality and health? Trans-disciplinary perspectives. The Gerontologist 53(6):898-906
Koenig HG (2012). Religion, spirituality and health: the research and clinical implications. ISRN Psychiatry 2012, article ID 278730, doi:10.5402/2012/278730
Hybels CF, Blazer DG, George LK, Koenig HG (2012). The complex association between religious activities and functional limitations in older adults. The Gerontologist 52(5):676-85
Koenig HG (2012). Religious versus conventional psychotherapy for major depression in patients with chronic medical Illness: Rationale, methods, and preliminary results. Depression Research and Treatment, article ID 460419, doi:10.1155/2012/460419
Pearce MJ, Coan AD, Herndon JE, Koenig HG, Abernethy AP (2012). Unmet spiritual care needs impact quality of life and well-being in advanced cancer. Supportive Care in Cancer 20(10):2269-76
Koenig HG, Zaben F, Khalifa DA (2012). Religion, spirituality and mental health in the West and the Middle East. Asian Journal of Psychiatry 5(2):180-182
Hayward RD, Owen AD, Koenig HG, Steffens DC, Payne ME (2012). Longitudinal relationships of religion with post-treatment depression severity in older psychiatric patients: Evidence of direct and indirect effects. Depression Research and Treatment ID 745970, doi:10.1155/2012/745970
Hayward, R. D., Owen, A. D., Koenig, H. G., Steffens, D. C., & Payne, M. E. (2012). Religion and the presence and severity of depression in older adults. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 20(2):188-192
Koenig HG (2012). The role of the chaplain on the medical-surgical team. AORN Journal 96(3):330-332
Hayward, R.D., Owen, A.D., Koenig, H.G., Steffens, D.C., Payne, M.E. (2011). Associations of religious behavior and experiences with extent of regional atrophy in the orbitofrontal cortex during older adulthood. Religion, Brain and Behavior 1(2):103-118
Owen AD, Hayward RD, Koenig HG, Steffens DC, Payne MF (2011). Religious factors and subsequent hippocampal atrophy in late life. PLOS-One 6(3):e17006
Koenig HG, Hooten EG, Lindsay-Calkins E, Meador KG (2010). Spirituality in medical school curricula: Findings from a national survey. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine 40 (4):391-398
Koenig HG, Bussing A (2010). The Duke Religion Index: A brief measure for use in epidemiological studies. Religions, 1 (1), 78-85, doi:10.3390/rel1010078 [also see Koenig HG, Meador KG, Parkerson G (1997). Religion index for psychiatric research. American Journal of Psychiatry 154 (6): 885-886]
Koenig HG (2009). Research on religion, spirituality and mental health: A review. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 54 (5):283-291
Koenig HG (2008). Concerns about measuring “spirituality” in research. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 196(5):349-355
