Finding a Spiritual Home: A Pilot Study on the Effects of a Spirituality Retreat and Loneliness among Urban Homeless Adults

Joseph R. Ferrari^1*, Thomas Drexler², Jordan Skarr²

¹DePaul University, Chicago, USA.
²Ignatian Spirituality Project, Chicago, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/psych.2015.63020                

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.

Keywords

Loneliness, Addiction, Homelessness, Retreats, Spirituality

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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