Exploration of spirituality in doctor of physical therapy students and graduate students in non-health disciplines

Abstract

Background/Aims: The purpose of this study was to explore spirituality in doctor of physical therapy (DPT) students, and to compare these findings with graduate students from other disciplines outside healthcare. An additional purpose was to determine DPT student attitudes towards spirituality and its relevance to their profession. Methods: A brief survey was administered including the 16-item Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale (DSES). Findings: A total of 65 DPT students and a total of 132 non-healthcare graduate students completed the survey. Age did not show a statistically significant relationship (r=.051, P>.05) to spirituality in our subjects and was therefore excluded from further analysis. A 2-way, between-subjects ANOVA was performed to test for differences in spirituality scores between the sexes and between the two student groups. There was a significant main effect for sex [F(1,173) =8.771, P=.004]. There was no significant main effect for Academic Major group (P>.05). There were no significant interactions (P>.05). The vast majority of physical therapy students indicated that physical therapists should be concerned with the spiritual health of their clients (81.5%), and that their education should include exposure to spiritual health issues (78.5%). Conclusions: Spirituality in DPT students does not differ significantly from non-healthcare graduate students. DPT students, however, do have high levels of daily spiritual experiences, believe spirituality is important to the profession, and desire training in this area. Physical therapy educational programmes may want to consider expanding this component of the entry-level curriculum.