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Spiritual needs - questionnaire

Project overview

The Spiritual Needs Questionnaire (SpNQ) was developed by Arndt Büssing in 2010 and is a proven standardised measure of existential and spiritual needs.

Dealing with unmet spiritual needs, especially by healthcare professionals, but also by psychologists and counsellors, requires specific spiritual care skills. Such needs can be assessed either in personal (anamnestic) interviews or in a standardised procedure to quantify the strength of unmet needs.

Introduction to the Spiritual Needs Questionnaire (SpNQ)

The theoretical basis underlying the SpNQ refers to four core dimensions of spiritual needs, i.e. connection, peace, meaning/purpose and transcendence. These were categorised as social, emotional, existential and religious needs.

The spiritual needs addressed by the SpNQ can be further categorised according to Alderfer's model of relational, existential and growth needs, i.e. relational needs in the sense of connection with others or the sacred, existential needs in the sense of needs for inner peace, hope and forgiveness and growth needs such as the search for meaning in life or self-realisation.

The questionnaire can be used either as a diagnostic instrument with 27 items (plus 3 free text fields) to initiate a counselling session or as a research instrument with 20 items (SpNQ-20). The SpNQ-20 differentiates between four main factors:

  • Religious needs
  • Needs for inner peace
  • Existential needs
  • Needs for giving/generativity


The 4-factor structure was tested on a sample of patients with chronic illnesses, older people and also stressed healthy adults. These factors correspond to the definition of spirituality as described by the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC).

Further information can be found in the overview and on the project website.

Project management