Spirituality, Religiosity, Caring Behavior, Spiritual Care, and Personalized Care Among Student Nurses: A Descriptive Correlational Study in the Philippines

This study sought to determine the student nurses' spirituality, religiosity, caring behavior, spiritual care, and personalized care. Further, it sought to determine the relationship between spirituality, religiosity, and caring behavior in student nurses' spiritual care and personalized care. The study used a descriptive correlational design using convenience sampling to collect data from 1248 student nurses in the Philippines from December 2023 to February 2024. We collected data using the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Scale rating scale and the Caring Behaviors Inventory. The study revealed that the mean scores of the students in their "spirituality" and "religiosity" were 4.08 (SD = 0.98) and 2.99 (SD = 1.26), respectively. Student nurses had sufficient confidence and skills in spiritual care, caring behavior, and personalized care. The students' age had a weak and negative association with the students' spirituality and religiosity. Students from University A had higher levels of spirituality and religiosity than students from University B, University C, and University D. Students in the 4th year level were more religious than 3rd year students. Students who had their last clinical exposure in the Admission and emergency room reported poorer caring behaviors than those who had previous clinical exposure in the Medical-surgical ward, Obstetrics and gynecology, Intensive Care Units, and Community. There is no significant relationship between a student nurse's spiritual care and caring behavior. This trend is similar to caring behavior and personalized care. The students' age predicts their personalized care.

Personal qualities needed by undergraduate nursing students for a successful work integrated learning (WIL) experience

BACKGROUND

International research has shown that during work integrated learning (WIL) undergraduate nursing students may experience stress, self-doubt, and coping issues, however personal qualities these students bring to their WIL journey or those needed to succeed during WIL remain unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the views of students midway through their Bachelor of Nursing program regarding personal qualities they bring to and need for WIL success.

DESIGN

This article reports on a descriptive study that used an electronic questionnaire to collect the data.

SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS

Bachelor of nursing students (n = 421), who were studying fulltime or part time equivalent, at a regional university in Queensland Australia, were invited to complete the anonymous electronic questionnaire that was developed by the research team following an extensive review of literature. Inclusion criteria required participants to have completed at least one WIL experience and be midway through their three-year Bachelor of Nursing program.

METHODS

Data were collected during January and February 2017. The electronic questionnaire consisted of demographic, forced choice questions, and open-ended questions. This paper presents the qualitative analysis of responses to two of the open-ended questions that focused on personal strengths and work integrated learning experiences. Data were analysed using the inductive content analysis approach.

RESULTS

Six personal qualities were identified including: enthusiasm to succeed, commitment to learning, self-motivation, confidence, effective communication skills, and compassion.

CONCLUSIONS

Pre-entry screening of applicants to bachelor level nursing programs and the delivery of learning opportunities that encourages both reflection and debriefing may assist in describing personal qualities needed to succeed in WIL.

Predictive Factors of Spiritual Quality of Life during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multivariate Analysis

COVID-19 has led to the implementation of various social and sanitary measures, impacting populations' quality of life. Aims: Documenting the spiritual quality of life (SQoL) of university employees and students in Quebec, Canada. A survey of 2,202 employees and students was conducted using health measurement tools, including the short version of the WHOQoL-SRPB. We ran a multiple linear regression to determine which variables promote the SQoL. SQoL was very low (2.92/5). Positive mental health, religion, and age are the main predictors of the SQoL. Some dimensions of spirituality contribute more than others to the respondents' quality of life and health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nurses' spiritual attitudes and involvement-Validation of the Polish version of the Spiritual Attitude and Involvement List

Background

Spirituality is vital in the holistic approach to nursing care. The personal spirituality of nurses has been documented to have an impact on the spiritual nursing care they provide.

Aim

To validate the Polish version of the Spiritual Attitude and Involvement List (SAIL) among nurses and to describe spiritual attitudes and involvement of nurses as measured with the tool.

Design

A cross-sectional, validation study was performed according to the STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology guidelines.

Methods

Study involving 163 nurses, with the use of four tools: (a) the SAIL; (b) the Self-Description Questionnaire; (c) the Scale of Spiritual Transcendence; and (d) the Brief Religious Coping questionnaire.

Results

The Explanatory Factor Analysis identified six factors and 25 items were retained explaining a total variance of 67.96%. In the Confirmative Factor Analysis, acceptable index fit values were obtained. Correlations were found between SAIL and the Brief Religious Coping questionnaire, the Self-Description Questionnaire, and the Spiritual Transcendence Scale. Nurses reported the highest scores on ‘Meaningfulness’ (= 4.95 out of 6.0, Standard Deviation [SD] 0.56) and the lowest on the ‘Transcendent Experiences’ factor (= 3.21 out of 6.0, SD 0.93). A strong correlation was found between ‘Spiritual Activities’ and the religious involvement of nurses (r = 0.506), and between ‘Connectedness with nature’ and the nurses’ age and work experience (r = 0.315 and r = 0.321, respectively).

Conclusion

The Polish version of SAIL shows acceptable psychometric properties and construct validity. With the validation of SAIL, future studies can be undertaken with the aim of measuring the personal spirituality of nurses in various settings (hospital vs. community), cultures, and countries, thus increasing the opportunity to compare findings. Moreover, more studies should be performed in order to assess whether there is any connection between personal spirituality and the spiritual nursing care provided to patients.

Pharmacy and Nursing Students' Perceptions Regarding the Role of Spirituality in Professional Education and Practice

Objective. To compare first-year student pharmacists and nursing students with respect to their spirituality and perceptions of the role of spirituality in professional education and practice. Methods. This was a five-year, cross-sectional study. All first-year student pharmacists and nursing students were invited to participate in the survey during the first week of the fall semester in 2012 through 2016. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Results. A total of 1,084 students participated, including 735 student pharmacists and 349 nursing students. Significant differences in baseline demographics were noted between the groups. Students in both groups reported having frequent spiritual experiences. A significantly larger percentage of nursing students reported these experiences compared to student pharmacists. Furthermore, compared with student pharmacists, nursing students were more likely to anticipate that spirituality would play a role in their academic course work (76% vs 58%) and professional practice (90% vs 74%). Conclusion. Student pharmacists and nursing students reported having frequent spiritual experiences, and both groups anticipated that spirituality would be incorporated into their education and professional practice.

Quality of Life and the Predictive Roles of Religiosity and Spiritual Coping Among Nursing Students: A Multi-country Study

There has been high interest in religious and spirituality practices among college students due to positive benefits to university life. However, no studies have been conducted examining nursing students' religiosity and use of spiritual coping and its impact on their QOL. This cross-sectional, descriptive study measured the QOL and examined the predictive roles of religiosity and spiritual coping among nursing students from four countries. Nursing students reported high overall QOL and health. Significant differences were revealed on the religiosity and spiritual coping of students in terms of demographic characteristics. Findings show frequent attendance to organized and non-organized religious activities lead to better physical and environmental domains, and using non-organized religious activities frequently lead to improved psychological health. More frequent use of non-religious coping strategies was associated with better physical, psychological, and environmental health, and improved social relationships.

Spirituality in Indian University Students and its Associations with Socioeconomic Status, Religious Background, Social Support, and Mental Health

The present study aimed to understand spirituality and its relationships with socioeconomic status (SES), religious background, social support, and mental health among Indian university students. It was hypothesized that (1) female university students will be more spiritual than male university students, (2) four domains of spirituality will differ significantly across socioeconomic and religious background of the university students in addition to social support, and (3) there will be a positive relationship between spirituality and mental health of university students, irrespective of gender. A group of 475 postgraduate students aged 20-27 years, 241 males and 234 females, from various disciplines of Pondicherry University, India, participated in the study. Students' background was collected using a structured questionnaire. Overall spirituality and its four dimensions were measured using the Spirituality Attitude Inventory, while mental health status was estimated based on scores of the psychological subscale of the WHO Quality of Life Questionnaire. Female students were significantly more spiritual than male students, particularly in spiritual practice and sense of purpose/connection. Hindu religion and lower family income were associated with lower spirituality. Higher spirituality was associated with congenial family environment and more support from teachers and classmates. There was a strong association between overall spirituality and two spirituality domains (spiritual belief and sense of purpose/connection) with better mental health. Findings suggest an opportunity for open dialogue on spirituality for university students as part of their mental health and support services that fosters a positive mind set and enhancement of resilience.

Atenção às necessidades espirituais na prática clínica de enfermeiros

Al considerar la integralidad del cuidado, es necesario que los enfermeros sistematicen el cuidado espiritual y propongan intervenciones en esta dimensión a sus pacientes. Objetivo: analizar la comprensión del enfermero acerca del cuidado espiritual y su experiencia en la promoción de este cuidado a los pacientes en la práctica clínica. Método: investigación descriptiva, con análisis cualitativo de los datos, desarrollada con 17 enfermeros. Se recolectaron los datos por medio de entrevistas semiestructuradas, analizadas mediante análisis de contenido cualitativo. Resultados: los enfermeros identificaron la necesidad de intervención en la dimensión espiritual de sus pacientes y consideraron importante atender a esta necesidad; sin embargo, ellos presentaron dificultades en brindar este cuidado. Falta de conocimiento y organización del proceso de trabajo fueron dificultades citadas para la no realización del cuidado espiritual y la priorización de los cuidados físicos. Se señala, aun, que el cuidado espiritual, cuando fue ofrecido, no fue sistematizado. Conclusión: esta investigación presenta potencial para despertar discusiones en cuanto a la formación del enfermero para el ofrecimiento del cuidado espiritual, además demuestra sus dificultades y facilidades para la ejecución de tal cuidado en la cotidianidad del trabajo de enfermería.