ABSTRACT
Background@#Spiritual struggle is a state of distress a person experiences when relationships with the sacred are fundamentally challenged or broken. Its presence has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. During the COVID-19 pandemic, attempts to address the whole being of patients, including spiritual well-being, were explored to improve outcomes of care. @*Objective@#The study determined the prevalence of spiritual struggle among COVID-19 related cases and assessed the effectiveness of a formulated spiritual regimen versus the standard pastoral care. @*Methods@#This is a randomized, triple-blind, controlled trial. COVID-19 patients tagged as having religious struggle were randomized into two equal groups (chaplain-led spiritual intervention and self-driven standard pastoral care). The Religious Struggle Screening Scale (RSSS) was measured at baseline and 4 weeks after the intervention in both groups. @*Results@#Prevalence of spiritual struggle among COVID-19 patients was 67%. Baseline patient demographics were similar for both groups. The overall RSSS slightly decreased throughout the 4-week duration for both groups. In addition, the six dimensions of the RSSS, namely: divine, demonic, interpersonal, moral, ultimate meaning and doubt were noted to have slightly improved. However, the differences in the two groups were not significant. @*Conclusion@#There is no difference in the effect on religious struggle of a formulated spiritual regimen and standard care given to COVID-19 patients.