Abstract
Background: The importance of having to consider the role of spirituality in health, mental health and psychiatry in South Africa has in particular been
emphasized by recent legislation on African traditional health practice. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the views and experience of local
psychiatrists regarding the role of spirituality in South African specialist psychiatric practice and training. Method: This study is an explorative, descriptive,
contextual, phenomenological and theory-generating, qualitative investigation. In-depth, semi-structured interviews with individual academic psychiatrists
affiliated to a local university were conducted as primary data source. Measures to ensure trustworthiness included credibility, transferability, dependability
and confirmability. Results: Awareness of spirituality, “mindfulness” and an open-minded approach about spirituality should, according to participants, be
facilitated in psychiatric practice and training. Six themes were identified through open coding. Discussion: All participants, disregarding of their own views
on spirituality and religion, agreed, that under certain conditions, spirituality must be incorporated into the current bio-psycho-social approach in the local
practice and training of specialist in psychiatry.