The correlation between spiritual care competence and spiritual health among Iranian nurses

Abstract

Background Considering the importance of spiritual aspects of human beings, spiritual care provision is increasingly recognized as a major duty of healthcare providers, particularly nursing staff. Spiritual care competence is necessary for the nurses to be able to provide spiritual care, but the competence itself is associated with other variables. This study aimed to investigate if the spiritual care competence of nurses is related to their spiritual health. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with the participation of 172 practicing nurses in hospitals affiliated with Qom University of Medical Sciences, selected through stratified random sampling. Participants completed the Persian versions of the Spiritual Health Questionnaire (Amiri) and the Spiritual Care Competence Scale (Van Leeuwen). To examine the correlation between nurses’ spiritual health and spiritual care competence, a Spearman coefficient was used and a linear regression analysis was done to determine the predictability of the spiritual care competence of the nurses. The data were analyzed using SPSS v.23 and the significance level was set at 0.05. Results The participants showed a mean (SD) score of 108.93 (19.04) on spiritual care competence and 213.38 (16.49) on spiritual health. Spiritual care competence of nurses showed no significant relationship with demographic characteristics and their spiritual health had a significant relationship with gender only. Correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between spiritual health and spiritual care competence and their subscales. Moreover, the linear regression analysis indicated that the nurses’ performance regarding spiritual health can predict their spiritual care competence. Conclusion The study revealed that the spiritual care competence of nurses is correlated with their spiritual health and performance as a subscale of spiritual health can predict their spiritual care competence. Thus, it can be concluded that the spiritual health of nurses is an important factor in providing spiritual care for patients and meeting their spiritual needs.

Spiritual Care[Givers] Competence in Palliative Care: A Scoping Review

“…There is consensus in the reviewed literature about the criticality of comprehending spiritual care, acknowledging the variability across different cultures and individuals, and elucidating the profound effects that these variations have on health and well-being throughout the human lifespan. The studies underscore the multiplicity of spirituality definitions, which are inherently subjective and shaped by an individual’s age, experience, and cultural background [ 26 , 27 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 53 , 59 , 61 ]. This diversity complicates the establishment of a universally accepted spiritual care competence and interferes with expected and delivered spiritual care.…”

“…Affective (attitudes)-Self-assessment, personal support and patient counseling-, attitude towards patient spirituality [5,47] Intrapersonal Resources [48] Interpersonal Resources [48] Transpersonal Resources [48] Willing to explore personal, religious, and spiritual beliefs [21,26,47,50,52,57,64,68,70] Being trustworthy and respectful of people's expressions of spirituality and different world/religious views [5,47,[49][50][51]53,59,[61][62][63][64][65]71,72] Developing and sustaining loving, trusting, and caring relationships [5,63] Respecting and being open to people's diverse expressions of spirituality [47,49- Recognizing personal limitations in spiritual caregiving and resorting to others when appropriate [21,46,50,62,67,68,72,73] Using evidence-informed practices to help patients and families address fears and spiritual and other distress related to life-limiting and end-of-life care [5,[46][47][48]…”

“…The importance of having caregivers who possess spiritual care competence has been highlighted in several countries and cultures [ 26 , 27 , 28 ]. According to recent studies, there is a correlation between the spiritual care competence of caregivers and their spiritual health and performance in providing spiritual care to patients and meeting their spiritual requirements [ 26 ].…”

“…The importance of having caregivers who possess spiritual care competence has been highlighted in several countries and cultures [ 26 , 27 , 28 ]. According to recent studies, there is a correlation between the spiritual care competence of caregivers and their spiritual health and performance in providing spiritual care to patients and meeting their spiritual requirements [ 26 ]. Watson’s Transpersonal Caring-Healing Theory [ 29 ] highlights the caregiver’s deliberate purpose in providing care, which might potentially strengthen the caregiver’s healing presence.…”

Designing and psychometric properties of the hospitalized patients’ spiritual needs questionnaire (HPSNQ) in the medical-surgical hospital setting

“…The recognition of the significance of spiritual elements in human beings has led to an increasing acknowledgement of the responsibility of healthcare professionals, especially nurses, to provide spiritual care. This highlights the importance of incorporating spiritual care into healthcare practices [ 39 ]. Evaluating the spiritual needs of patients is crucial for providing appropriate and effective spiritual care [ 40 ].…”