Factors that predict the perception of spirituality and spiritual care of nurses working in high-risk units and the effect of death anxiety

A Systematic Review of Death Anxiety and Related Factors Among Nurses

This systematic review aimed to summarize the evidence regarding death anxiety (DA) and related factors among nurses. Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Iranmedex, and Scientific Information Database (SID) databases were extensively searched using purpose-related keywords from the earliest to October 5, 2021. A total of 6819 nurses were included in 31 studies. The DA of nurses based on the Templer's Death Anxiety Scale was moderate. Factors such as personal anxiety, frequency and severity of job stress, burnout, dying patient avoidance behavior, euthanasia, sex, mental health status, social desirability, attitude toward the elderly, humor, social maturity, psychological hardiness, quality of life, lack of social activity, self-efficacy, coping with death, and life satisfaction were associated with nurses' DA. Therefore, nursing policymakers can promote nurses' health to improve the quality of nursing care by considering these related factors.

The Effect of Emergency Nurses' Psychological Resilience on Their Thanatophobic Behaviors: A Cross-Sectional Study

PURPOSE

This study analyzed the effect of emergency nurses' psychological resilience on their thanatophobic behaviors.

METHODS

The research was conducted with 156 emergency nurses. In the data collection process, the Socio-Demographic Information Form, the Brief Resilience Scale, and the Thanatophobia Scale were used.

RESULTS

It was found that emergency nurses had medium-level psychological resilience and high-level thanatophobia. Besides, it was discerned that there was a moderate negative relationship between psychological resilience and thanatophobia (r:-.643, p: 0.000). Lastly, as per the simple linear regression analysis, it was identified that the predictor variable of psychological resilience accounted for 40.9% of the variance in the predicted variable of thanatophobia (R2:.409, p: 0.000).

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Emergency nurses, who are faced with many negative situations, need to have a high level of psychological resilience in order to get out of the mental state brought by negative conditions as soon as possible, and it is recommended to carry out applications to increase psychological resilience.

Nurses' Perceptions of Spirituality and Spiritual Care and Influencing Factors in Türkiye, Italy, and Albania: A Multicultural Study

The present study aimed to explore the perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care among nurses who work in three different countries with different cultures as well as the factors influencing their perception. This is a cross-sectional multicultural study conducted with a total of 1090 nurses from Türkiye, Albania, and Italy. Data were collected through the "Individual Information Form" and the "Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale". Nurses' mean score on the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale was above average. It was also found that country, marital status, religious belief, Islamic religion, training for spiritual care, and using spiritual practices to cope with difficulties or illnesses influenced nurses' perception of spirituality and spiritual care. It was concluded that nurses from the three countries associated spirituality and spiritual care with religion and that some personal characteristics influenced their perceptions of spiritual care. The results highlight the need for training in spiritual care to improve nurses' perceptions and practices of spiritual care.

Spiritual Care and Death in Intensive Care from the Perspective of Nursing Students in Turkey: An Exploratory Mixed Study

This mixed methods research study aimed to determine spiritual care competencies and death anxiety levels of nursing students practicing in intensive care. The quantitative part of this study included 33 students while the qualitative part included 17 students. Nursing students' spiritual care competence was detected to be above medium and their death anxiety was high. Two themes emerged from the qualitative data collected through in-depth interviews with 17 nursing students: (a) Views on spiritual care competencies and (b) Views on death. These findings are significant to reduce nursing students' death anxiety, increase spiritual care competencies and the quality of patients' end-of-life care.

The Validity and Reliability of the Thanatophobia Scale-Turkish Form: A Psychometric Study Among Nurses

Purpose: To examine the validity and reliability of the Thanatophobia Scale-Turkish Form among nurses. Design and methods: This methodological study included 154 nurses. Content and construct validity, item analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and internal consistency were used to evaluate the data. Findings: The content validity index of the scale was 0.91. Item-total score correlation values varied between 0.453 and 0.718. As a result of the confirmatory factor analyses, one factor was confirmed. Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficient was 0.854. Practice Implications: Thanatophobia Scale-Turkish Form is a valid and reliable tool used to evaluate the fear of death among nurses.

Nurses' perceptions and competencies about spirituality and spiritual care: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To identify and synthesize nurses' perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care and their spiritual care competencies.

DESIGN

A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

DATA SOURCES

The electronic databases PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, ProQuest, Scopus, CNKI, and WANFANG were systematically searched from the inception of each database to April 19, 2023.

REVIEW METHODS

Two reviewers independently completed the selection of included studies and data extraction. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) checklist was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. The study outcomes were meta-analyzed using STATA 15 software. Predefined subgroup analyses were conducted to explore differences in spiritual care competencies among nurses across religious affiliation and education levels.

RESULTS

Thirty-five cross-sectional studies conducted in 11 countries and territories met the inclusion criteria, with 17,786 participants. The meta-analysis revealed that the pooled mean scores for spirituality and spiritual care perceptions and spiritual care competencies were 3.62 (95 % CI: 3.41-3.83) and 3.46 (95 % CI: 3.28-3.63), respectively. Nurses with no religious affiliation had inferior spiritual care competencies (3.24) than nurses with religious affiliation (3.31); nurses with a master's degree or above had the greatest spiritual care competencies (3.59), while nurses with an associate's degree had the least (3.31).

CONCLUSION

Nurses' perceptions and competencies about spirituality and spiritual care were moderate, and both needed to be improved, especially among nurses with no religious affiliation and low education levels. Nursing educators and leaders need to emphasize both theory education in the spiritual dimension and dedication to training in spiritual care practice, as well as provide nurses with targeted teaching and training to improve their competency in addressing the spiritual needs of their patients.

Factors Affecting Death Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Open Heart Surgery: A Cross-Sectional Study

After the operation, death anxiety of patients is affected by many factors. This study aims to investigate the factors affecting death anxiety of patients undergoing open heart surgery. A descriptive, cross-sectional study. Data were collected using the 'Introductory Information Form,' the 'Templer's Death Anxiety Scale,' and the 'Spiritual Well-being Scale.' This study was conducted with 313 intensive care patients. The mean scores of the patients on the "Death Anxiety Scale" were moderate (7.96 (4.28)). According to the study findings, age, gender, length of stay in the intensive care unit, and spiritual well-being were found to be important predictors of death anxiety (F (4,308) = 16.149, p < .001). Considering gender differences in nursing care, it is thought that the intensive care period will be shortened, the level of spiritual well-being will increase and death anxiety will decrease.

Nurse's spiritual care perception in Ethiopia: A multicenter cross-sectional study

Objectives:

Spirituality and spiritual care are the critical components of patient care. In recent years, spirituality has been indicated as a crucial but often overlooked component of patient health. Despite their benefits, several factors prevent nurses from providing spiritual care. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the current state of spiritual care perception of nurses in Southwest Ethiopia as well as the factors influencing it.

Methods:

From 1 August to 2 September 2021, an institution-based cross-sectional study was performed on nurses at five government hospitals in Southwest Ethiopia. Study participants were selected using a simple random sampling method. Data were collected using the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS). The collected data were recorded into EpiData 4.1 and SPSS version 25. Simple and multivariable linear regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with spiritual care perception. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results:

A total of 390 nurses were enrolled in the study, yielding a response rate of 96.8%. The mean score for nurses’ perception of spiritual care for patients was moderate, that is, 3.11 ± 0.78. Age (p < 0.05), clinical experience (p < 0.05), educational status (p < 0.05), and religion (p < 0.05) were significantly associated with spiritual care perceptions.

Conclusion:

Nurses’ perception of spiritual care was moderate. It is affected by nurses’ age, clinical experience, educational level, and religion. This expanding body of data should be used to notify nurse managers and nursing management personnel to provide spiritual care training, planning, and services.

The Role of Spirituality and Religiosity in Healthcare During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Integrative Review of the Scientific Literature

The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has been affecting populations globally since the end of 2019. Previous studies have indicated that spirituality in these times of crisis serves as a source of hope and well-being that helps people get through the day. This study investigated the role of spirituality and religiosity in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. An integrative review of the scientific literature available on PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases and a review of the gray literature in the Information System on Gray Literature in Europe (OpenGrey) were carried out. From a total of 1,338 articles searched; 25 articles were included in this review (22 quantitative observational, 2 qualitative and one randomized controlled trial). Our findings revealed the importance of including spirituality in clinical practice for both health professionals and patients. On the one hand, spirituality can be considered a good coping strategy used by healthcare professionals to promote mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting in greater patient satisfaction with the care given. On the other hand, addressing spiritual needs of individuals leads to a reduction in stress, anxiety, depression, and an increase in resilience and hope among patients.