Meanings and Interpretations of Spirituality in Nursing and Health

Abstract

Numerous spirituality models and tools have been developed in health education and research, but a gap still exists around the conceptual clarity and articulation of spirituality among nurses and healthcare providers. Nurses and healthcare providers still find it difficult to interpret and apply the concepts of spirituality in their practice settings. This paper provides a concept analysis of spirituality using the Walker and Avant method of conceptual analysis. Several databases including conceptual and empirical literature from various disciplines have been used. The defining attributes of spirituality included spirituality and religion as a separable or mutual construct, spirituality as a personal construct, wholeness and integration, meaning making and purpose, sense of connectedness and relationship, transcendence, inner source of power, energy, and strength. Major antecedents of spirituality found were faith, personal values, and belief systems, and life adversities. Consequences of spirituality included personal/spiritual growth and wellbeing, resilience, and religiousness. Spirituality is a unique and personal human experience, an individualised journey characterised by multiple experiential accounts such as meaning making, purpose, connectedness, wholeness and integration, energy, and transcendence. Spiritual experiences are often difficult to examine and measure using scientific tools and empirical language. Healthcare providers need to fully understand and apply spirituality and spiritual care aspects to provide holistic person-centred care.

Spirituality as a core concept in the theoretical literature of nursing: A comparative overview between Watson & Lovering's perspectives

“…1,38,39 Both inferred and directly declared conceptual bridges between Watson's Human Caring Science Theory and Lovering's Crescent Care Model are apparent. 1,2,13 This can be explained by the fact that both theorists have presented spirituality as a main theoretical premise. 17 This become clear when making a comparative presentation, as that both theorists come to an understanding that spirituality in nursing is a central and irreplaceable piece of holistic nursing identity that has been and will continue to exist in the scope of caring.…”

“…20,21 It is a personalized purposeful journey, which is characterized by multiple abstract and empirical stations, including integration, state of grace, meaning making, connectedness with a supreme infinite power, deeply rooted faith, and liveliness. 13 Spirituality goes beyond prayer and meditation. It is a subjective experience that sometimes is manifested through actions.…”

Nurturing Spiritual Resilience to Promote Post-disaster Community Recovery: The 2016 Alberta Wildfire in Canada

“…Wattis et al (14) asserts that spirituality can be viewed both in secular and religious terms and is no longer confined to religion. Most authors now view spirituality and religion as separate and distinct constructs whereas some may them as overlapping concepts (15). Spirtuality can be expressed in religious and non-religious forms and values, some people express their spirituality through their religion such as prayers and meditation; others may express through non-religious forms such as showing love, being present, community participation, listening, and communication in forms of art, drama, and music etc.…”

Complementary and Alternative Therapy for Pain and Anxiety in Cardiovascular Disease: A Literature Review

“…The results showed that mindfulness as mind therapies is carried out with a spiritual approach. A spiritual approach by recognizing that each individual has diverse personal life experiences so that in the nursing approach nurses need to be patient-centered by still observing the needs and spiritual values of each individual patient (27).…”