The Spirituality Questionnaire: Core Dimensions of Spirituality

Abstract

Various approaches are used to assess spirituality via questionnaires, ranging from one-dimensional scales to highly multidimensional models. For the present investigation, an – in spirituality research unorthodox – factor analytic method was chosen: principal axis analysis with oblique rotation. An item collection was examinated and cross-validated via internet. The spirituality questionnaire contains four dimensions: belief in God, search for meaning, mindfulness, and feeling of security. They present with high internal consistencies. The factorial structure of the four dimensions was confirmed. Based on the better fit of this method of extraction the authors assume that these dimensions may depict the concept of spirituality more precisely than the previously used factor analytic methods, i.e. the principal component analysis (PCA) with orthogonal rotation.