Spiritual Beliefs among Israeli Nurses and Social Workers: A Comparison Based on Their Involvement with the Dying

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to compare spiritual beliefs and practices between nurses and health care social workers based on their involvement with dying patients. Exposure to the dying was identified by two indicators: the percentage of terminally ill patients in the provider's care and the work environment. On the basis of the literature, differences were expected between the two types of professionals and the three degrees of involvement with the dying. Nurses were expected to have a higher spiritual perspective than social workers; and health care providers with high involvement in care for the dying were expected to hold the highest levels of spiritual beliefs. Contrary to expectations, no differences in spirituality were found between nurses and social workers; both groups exhibited medium levels of spirituality. Furthermore, health care providers who were highly involved with dying patients had the lowest spiritual perspectives. Tentative explanations of these unexpected results are presented and discussed.

Describing Spirituality at the End of Life

“…Shih et al (2009) saw movement toward self-transcendence as a spiritual need, whereas Chao and colleagues (2002) suggested that the movement of self-transcendence is aided by the discomforts brought about by uncertainty, which, in turn, causes people to reconsider their priorities at the EOL. This idea that self-transcendence is a process or movement is consistent with researchers who describe self-transcendence as a journey (Nixon & Narayanasamy, 2010) or an unfolding (Stephenson et al, 2003) that occurs while learning to master life’s challenges and achieve personal growth (Dobratz, 2005; Elias et al, 2008; Pelleg & Leichtentritt, 2009; Shih et al, 2009). However, self-transcendence can also be viewed as an endpoint when described as achieving “wholeness, integration, and individual empowerment” (Pelleg & Leichtentritt, 2009).…”

“…Connecting was included as an important attribute of spirituality in 29 of the 40 articles reviewed. Self, others, a Higher Power, and nature were four distinct connections supported in the literature (Buxton, 2007; Dane & Moore, 2005; Elias et al, 2008; Hermann, 2006; McClain et al, 2003; Pelleg & Leichtentritt, 2009; Stephenson et al, 2003; Tang, 2009).…”

Impact of Spiritual Well-Being, Spiritual Perspective, and Religiosity on the Self-Rated Health of Jordanian Arab Christians

“…Criterion and discriminant validity have been demonstrated for this scale (Reed, 1987). Internal reliability coefficients using Cronbach’s alpha for the SPS have been consistently high (.86-.94) in adult populations (Campesino et al, 2009; Dailey & Stewart, 2007; Dunkin & Dunn, 2009; Pelleg & Leichtentritt, 2009; Reed, 1986, 1987; Shores, 2010).…”

“Sometimes I don’t even know where I am going”: What supports individualized personal spiritual change?

“…Furthermore, the lack of a clear separation between state and religion in Israel leads to the dominance of religious laws ( halakha ), customs, and symbols in a variety of spheres. This state of affairs often evokes resentment toward religiosity and Jewish orthodoxy (Pelleg & Leichtentritt, 2009) because it is perceived as involving coercion. The transition to an individualistic worldview and the deepening of social, cultural, and ideological crises of identity spurred a search for alternative sources for meaning and resulted in an increased interest in and move toward spiritual and metaphysical venues of personal spiritual meaning in Israeli society (Beit-Hallahmi, 1992).…”