Nurse Religiosity and Spiritual Care: An Online Survey

Abstract

This study measured the frequency of nurse-provided spiritual care and how it is associated with various facets of nurse religiosity. Data were collected using an online survey accessed from the home page of the Journal of Christian Nursing. The survey included the Nurse Spiritual Care Therapeutics Scale, six scales quantifying facets of religiosity, and demographic and work-related items. Respondents ( N = 358) indicated high religiosity yet reported neutral responses to items about sharing personal beliefs and tentativeness of belief. Findings suggested spiritual care was infrequent. Multivariate analysis showed prayer frequency, employer support of spiritual care, and non-White ethnicity were significantly associated with spiritual care frequency (adjusted R = .10). Results not only provide an indication of spiritual care frequency but empirical encouragement for nurse managers to provide a supportive environment for spiritual care. Findings expose the reality that nurse religiosity is directly related, albeit weakly, to spiritual care frequency.

Testing the structural equation model of the influence of nurses’ spiritual well‐being and caring behaviour on their provision of spiritual care to patients

“…In terms of frequency of spiritual care provision, they are found to not regularly providing it. Their aggregated response to the NSCTS supports the findings of studies that used the same scale (Mamier et al., 2018; Musa, 2016; Taylor, Gober‐Park, et al, 2017; Taylor, Mamier, et al, 2017).…”

“…Taylor, Mamier et al (2017) analysed the data from four studies that used NSCTS and found that nurses do not frequently include spiritual care therapeutics in their nursing care. Similarly, the studies of Taylor, Gober‐Park, et al (2017) and Mamier et al. (2018) revealed modest provision of spiritual care by nurses.…”

Nurse opinions about initiating spiritual conversation and prayer in patient care

“…via staff orientation, regular communiqués). Indeed, findings from this study reported elsewhere showed that frequency of spiritual care provision by nurses was correlated with institutional supportiveness and religious affiliation (Taylor et al, 2017).…”

The Impact of US Nurses’ Personal Religious and Spiritual Beliefs on Their Mental Well-Being and Burnout: A Path Analysis

“…The literature on religion and spirituality (r/s) in nursing primarily focuses on the provision of spiritual care to patients (Mamier et al 2019;Pike 2011;Taylor et al 2014). Nurses' personal spirituality often is only considered as it affects the ability to comfortably and competently provide whole-person care to patients and families (Taylor et al 2019). Nurses are expected to be spiritual care "generalists"-assessing and meeting patients' basic spiritual care needs (Donesky et al 2020).…”