Iris Mamier

Abstract

This descriptive, correlational study described the type, frequency, and correlates of nurses' spiritual care practices (quantitative) and their experiences with the sacred at work (qualitative). A convenience sample of 554 (24%) of the Registered Nurses employed at a western United States faith-based tertiary care health system participated in this online survey. Nurses' spiritual care practices were assessed using the 17-item Nurses' Spiritual Care Practice Questionnaire (NSCQ). Factorial validity and reliability of the pilot NSCQ were established. Spiritual care practices most frequently endorsed were assessing patients' spiritual beliefs pertaining to health and listening to patients' stories of illness and their spiritual concerns. Over 90% of the nurses reported remaining with a patient after completing a task to show caring. Although nurses' mean spiritual care practice scores were relatively low, item endorsement showed variability. Bivariate analyses revealed associations between nurses' spirituality, religiousness, and work environment and the dependent variable, nurses' spiritual care practices. Working day shift, past education in spiritual care, and nurses' comfort level with spiritual care also were significant. No demographic variables were significant. Predictors in the final multivariate model (in order of strength) were nurses' perception that spiritual issues at the work place came up frequently, nurses being more spiritual, nurses not working in pediatric care, and nurses having received education about spiritual care in the past. The qualitative analysis revealed that nurses' experiences with the sacred at work reflected mostly positive engaging experiences supporting their personal spirituality and their desire to continue to engage with spiritual situations. Where there was a misfit between nurses' and patients' spiritual orientation, some nurses disengaged from the presenting spiritual concerns. This study is most informative about spiritual care practices of nurses who integrate their spirituality with traditional religiousness. Findings show differences in frequency of spiritual care provided across various areas of nursing, and they raise questions about whether the NSCQ adequately captures spiritual care practices in pediatric settings.

LLU Discipline

Nursing

Department

Nursing

School

School of Nursing

First Advisor

Winslow, Betty W.

Second Advisor

Haviland, Mark G.

Third Advisor

Taylor, Elizabeth Johnston

Fourth Advisor

Sorajjakool, Siroj

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Level

Ph.D.

Year Degree Awarded

2009

Date (Title Page)

9-2009

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Holistic nursing; Nursing -- Religious aspects; Spirituality -- Health aspects; Religion and Medicine; Spiritual Therapies - methods

Subject - Local

Spiritual care practices; Experience with the sacred; Spiritual beliefs;

Type

Dissertation

Page Count

258

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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