Spiritual Needs Research Articles

Missional spirituality at home: Families and the life of the kingdom

Missiological texts typically focus on the church or individuals as the agents of mission (within the missio Dei) and it is rare to find any reference to families or the home. Such an omission, however, overlooks the extent to which families can witness to the transforming grace of God in the midst of the world. In this article, I explore the importance of families for mission, and argue that the New Testament shows that the family is subordinated to the church but also transformed by the kingdom. In the light of the New Testament witness, I explore three scriptural themes of a family spirituality for mission; holiness, hospitality, and service. Given the significance of life within the home, the disciplines of missiology and Christian spirituality need to engage more deeply with the family as a context for Christian formation and outreach.

The Perceptions of Spirituality and Spiritual Care Among People From Chinese Backgrounds Living in England: A Grounded Theory Method.

Introduction: There has been a growing number of people from Chinese backgrounds entering England and their perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care need to be addressed when their cultural context changes. Methodology: A Straussian grounded theory method was used. Twenty-five participants were recruited, after which point data saturation was reached. Results: Four themes emerged showing participants' perceptions of the terms: holistic; family involvement; religious care; abstract and sensitive. Discussion: Participants held holistic and culturally sensitive perspectives of spirituality, which demonstrates that patient-centered care is important. Also, health care professionals need to consider methods to involve family member and use religious or cultural values to support their spiritual needs. Particularly, when implementing spiritual care, they need to be aware that people from Chinese backgrounds blend Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism together in their understanding of the terms and may provide contradictory information about their religious belief.

Comparison of the Spiritual Needs of Terminal Cancer Patients and Their Primary Family Caregivers.

This study was conducted to examine differences in Spiritual Interests Related to Illness Tool (SpIRIT) scores and the degree of spiritual needs (SNs) between patients with terminal cancer and their primary family caregivers and to compare spiritual needs between them. The study participants were inpatients with terminal cancer and their primary family caregivers at 40 national hospice centers. The final analysis included 120 SpIRIT surveys from patients and 115 from family members, and 99 SNs questionnaires from patients and 111 from family members. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, the t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficients. There were no significant between-group differences in SpIRIT scores or SNs. The SpIRIT sub-dimensions that ranked high for both patients and primary family caregivers were "maintaining positive perspective", "loving others", and "finding meaning". The SNs sub-dimensions were ranked identically in both groups, in the order of "love and connection", "hope and peace", "meaning and purpose", respectively. In both groups, the recognition of the importance of spiritual matters and religion were major factors influencing SpIRIT scores and SNs. The SpIRIT scores and degree of SNs of patients with terminal cancer and their primary family caregivers were found to be very closely related, and the needs for coherence and meaning were greater than religious needs. When providing spiritual care for patients with terminal illness, family members should also be considered, and their prioritization of spiritual needs and the importance of spiritual matters and religion shall be taken into account.

Peer-to-Peer Leadership, Mentorship, and the Need for Spirituality From Latina Student Leaders' Perspective.

Reflecting on one's life and academic experiences can provide powerful insights that inform leadership practice. This chapter offers perspective on mentoring and peer leadership from two undergraduate students. Recommendations for leadership educators are incorporated.

Training of Moria choir conductor members and conductors in efforts to improve quality in Medan city

In ecclesiastical worship activities in the Christian community, singing activities both in the format of 'choir', congregational singing and others are integrated in a series of worship services in the church. It is also found among members of the Runggun Benameriah Protestant Karo Batak Church (GBKP) congregation who also use the choir format in activities to praise and glorify God. For Christians singing is a spiritual need. In both churches there are several types of choirs, both the choir moria (mothers), mamre choirs (fathers) gem choirs or youth / youth and elderly choirs. Each choir has a trainer (amateur) who also acts as choir leader, referred to as Dirigen. The problem is that often the quality of the choir that is displayed is low. This means that there are always a lot of technical errors and un-melodious voices from the choir members during the choir presentation. If this condition continues and occurs continuously, the presence of the choir can eventually interfere with the implementation of worship. Another condition is that almost all Dirigens in the GBKP choir are people who have limited musical abilities, and have no background in formal music education. His managerial ability and technical ability to teach choir is very weak. Dirigen's lack of musical knowledge and technical ability will certainly have a profound impact on the quality of the choir he leads. Therefore this dedication team will improve the choir management ability in vocal material and the ability of conducting to all participants so as to minimize the technical difficulties found in the preparation and presentation of the choir. This community service activity is expected that members and conductors / choir leaders can utilize their knowledge and experience as professionals in the field of choir training among community members in general.

Pengaruh Spiritualitas Kerja terhadap Keterlekatan Karyawan melalui Kepuasan Kerja pada UKM Kota Bogor

The Quality human resources are needed in global economic competition. Spirituality in work becomes a solution developed by companies, because it can be created a conducive environment for employees to work as good as possible. The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of work spirituality on employee engagement through job satisfaction in Small and Medium Enterprises cluster of food and beverages in the city of Bogor. This research used Structural Equation Modeling PLS for data analysis. Samples are SMEs that have at least 5 employees and have been registered in the Department of Industry and Trade (Disperindag) and the Department of Cooperatives and SMEs Bogor City. So that 25 SMEs are eligible, consisting of 65 people consisting of employees and owners of SMEs. Sampling method using purposive sampling. The results showed that the spirituality of work has a positive effect directly on employee engagement and indirectly influence through job satisfaction on employee engagement to the organization. Meanwhile, job satisfaction has a direct positive effect on employees' engagement to the organization. Therefore, increased employee engagement to SMEs is suggested through several supporting activities such as: communicating and facilitating the need for spirituality in the workplace.

А.П. ЧЕХОВ И М.А. ШОЛОХОВ: ЭНЕРГИЯ ДОБРА

In the year of the 160th anniversary of A.P. Chekhov and the 115th anniversary of A.M. Sholokhov in the article is considered not the literary, but the social heritage of great writers. On numerous, often little-known facts from the biographies of writers, the picture of their active humanistic position is recreated. Both Chekhov and Sholokhov, out of their own spiritual need, intervened in the unfair solution of problems, protecting the innocent, whether it was the Sakhalin penal servitude or the upper Don villages of the times of collectivization. So creatively dissimilar, lived in different historical epochs, the writers were true ascetics of enlightenment and culture, exerting a powerful influence on the spiritual microclimate of modern society.

Spiritual Needs Questionnaire (SpNQ): Validity Evidence among HIV+ Patients in Northeast Brazil

The Spiritual Needs Questionnaire (SpNQ) measures psychosocial, existential, and spiritual needs in clinical contexts. The objective was to confirm its factor structure in Brazil, comparing the results of its validation for Portuguese in Rio de Janeiro, under similar sampling conditions, in João Pessoa (Paraíba-Brazil), among 157 HIV(Human Immunodeficiency Virus)+ patients, most of them men (49%) (women = 35%; other = 16%), aged between 30 and 49 years (53.5%). From exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency analysis a structure of five factors (or components) was obtained: Religious Needs (α = 0.73), Inner Peace and Family Support Needs, gathered (α = 0.64), Existential Needs (α = 0.49) and two new factors instead of “Giving/Generativity Needs”, being Social Recognition Needs (α = 0.54), referring explicitly to religious practices, with items formerly found in the Religious Needs factor, and Time Domain: Reflection and Clarification Needs (α = 0.57), which group only two items (item 4, “reflection on the past” (formerly in the Inner Peace component) and item 5, “resolution of outstanding problems”). The institutional religiosity perceived in the composition of the Social Recognition Needs component shows that these patients differentiate “religiosity” from “spirituality”. The Religious Needs component was formed with items from the “spirituality” construct definition. The most important component was Inner Peace and Family Support Needs, a relevant coping strategy in this disease. The results met proper validity criteria, and SpNQ proved to be sensitive and appropriate to situations of cultural and clinical diversity between samplings.

Spiritual Needs of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Foster Parents

Aboriginal children are overrepresented in foster care and more Aboriginal foster parents are needed. A randomized group of licensed First Nations, Métis and Inuit foster parents in a Canadian jurisdiction were asked about their spiritual needs to foster. In response to the question “what do you need spiritually to foster?” there were 55 unique responses that were grouped by participants into five concepts including: religion, practice, integration, sharing and contentment. These results were compared and contrasted with the existing fostering literature.

The Effectiveness of Dignity Therapy as Applied to End-of-Life Patients with Cancer in Taiwan: A Quasi-Experimental Study

PurposeThe aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of dignity therapy for end-of-life patients with cancer. MethodsThis study used a quasi-experimental study design with a nonrandomized controlled trial. Dignity therapy was used as an intervention in the experimental group, and general visit was used in the control group. Thirty end-of-life patients with cancer were recruited, with 16 in the experimental group and 14 in the control group. Outcome variables were the participants' dignity, demoralization, and depression. Measurements were taken at the following time points: pre-test (before intervention), post-test 1 (the 7th day), and post-test 2 (the 14th day). The effectiveness of the intervention in the two groups was analyzed using the generalized estimating equation, with the p value set to be less than .05. ResultsAfter dignity therapy, the end-of-life patients with cancer reflected increased dignity significantly [β = −37.08, standard error (SE) = 7.43, Wald χ2 = 24.94, p < .001], whereas demoralization (β = −39.55, SE = 6.42, Wald χ2 = 37.95, p < .001) and depression (β = −12.01, SE = 2.17, Wald χ2 = 30.71, p < .001) were both reduced significantly. ConclusionClinical nurses could be adopting dignity therapy to relieve psychological distress and improve spiritual need in end-of-life patients with cancer. Future studies might be expanded to looking at patients vis-à-vis end-of-life patients without cancer to improve their psychological distress. These results provide reference data for the care of end-of-life patients with cancer for nursing professionals.

Experiences and hidden needs of older patients, their families and their physicians in palliative chemotherapy decision-making: a qualitative study.

This study aimed to clarify the experiences and hidden needs of older patients with advanced cancer, their families and their physicians in palliative chemotherapy decision-making. We conducted in-depth qualitative individual interviews with content analysis. Patients who were diagnosed as having advanced cancer, were aged ≥70years (n=15, median [range]=77 [70-82] years) and had volunteered to receive palliative chemotherapy within the past 6 months were enrolled. Their families and physicians were also interviewed. The following four themes were identified: (i) physician's awareness of paternalism; (ii) readiness for communication of serious news; (iii) spiritual care need assessment and (iv) support as a team. The patients and families expected physicians to demonstrate paternalism in their decision-making because they were unconfident about their self-determination capability. Although the physicians were aware of this expectation, they encountered difficulties in recommending treatment and communicating with older patients. The patients had spiritual pain since the time of diagnosis. Psychological issues were rarely discussed during decision-making and treatment, triggering feelings of isolation in the patients and their families. Older patients and their families expected a paternalistic approach by the physicians for palliative chemotherapy decision-making. The physicians found it difficult to offer treatment options because of older patient diversity and limitations in evidence-based strategies. Therefore multidisciplinary approaches and evidence-based decision support aids are warranted. Because older patients and their families often have unexpressed psychological burdens including unmet spiritual needs, medical professionals should provide psychological care from the time of diagnosis.

Item Response Theory Applied to the Spiritual Needs Questionnaire (SpNQ) in Portuguese

The item response theory (IRT), or latent trace theory, is based on a set of mathematical models to complement the qualitative analysis of the items in a given questionnaire. This study analyzes the items of the Spiritual Needs Questionnaire (SpNQ) in the Portuguese version, applied to HIV+ patients, with R Studio 3.4.1, mirt statistical package, to find out if the items of the SpNQ possess appropriate psychometric qualities to discriminate between respondents as to the probability of marking one answer and not another, in the same item, showing whether or not the questionnaire is biased towards a pattern of response desired by the researcher. The parameters of discrimination, difficulty, information, and the characteristic curve of the items are evaluated. The reliable items to measure the constructs of each of the five dimensions of the SpNQ of this HIV+ sample (Religious Needs; Inner Peace and Family Support Needs; Existential Needs; Social Recognition Needs; and Time Domain Needs) are presented, as well as the most likely response categories, depending on the latent trace level of the individuals. The questionnaire items showed satisfactory discrimination and variability of difficulty, confirming the good psychometric quality of SpNQ.

The Use of Bibliotherapy in Revealing and Addressing the Spiritual Needs of Cancer Patients

Assessing and addressing spiritual needs is a key factor in the quality of life and overall wellbeing of cancer patients. However, the evolution and diversification of assessment tools has not automatically been followed by their successful implementation; thus, addressing unmet needs continues to be a concern. In this paper, we examine the place of bibliotherapy (also called reading therapy or poetry therapy) as a group intervention in the oncological setting in revealing spiritual needs. We show that it represents not only a useful intervention but may also provide instant relief and reduce spiritual suffering. Bibliotherapy understood and practiced as a subtle balance of texts and group processes alleviates cognitive and emotional symptoms of a spiritual concern and facilitates finding meaning in life in general and illness in particular. As an intervention, it is effective, affordable and attractive; moreover, it equips patients receiving treatment and rehabilitation with the lifelong skill of reflective reading. Bibliotherapy is easily tailored to almost any needs and promotes self-expression, which provides spiritual fulfillment in itself.

Spiritual Needs and Influencing Factors of Indonesian Muslims With Cancer During Hospitalization.

Introduction: Although Muslims constitute nearly one fourth of the global population, many non-Muslims are not familiar with Islam. To address this unique need from such a specific cultural context, the present study aimed to examine the spiritual needs and influencing factors of Indonesian Muslims with cancer. Method: A cross-sectional research design with 122 cancer patients was conducted by using the Bahasa-version Spiritual Needs Questionnaire. Results: The degree of spiritual needs was generally high. Religious needs were the strongest aspect, and "praying five times a day" was the highest scoring item. Gender (p = .04), age (p = .01), and duration of being diagnosed with cancer (p = .01) were associated with spiritual needs. Female gender (p = .005) and older age (p < .001) were predictors of spiritual needs. Discussion: As expected to provide cultural-congruent spiritual interventions, nurses could meet Muslim patients' need to pray five times a day during hospitalization, thus help them manage and endure the illness.

775 The Spiritual and Religious Beliefs and Needs of Burn Reconstruction Patients

Abstract Introduction Acutely injured burn patients demonstrate a range of spiritual and religious needs, but little is known about the variability of their beliefs over time, as well as the impact of reconstruction on these spiritual and religious beliefs. We examined the faith needs of burn reconstruction patients over the course of their reconstruction. Methods After obtaining consent, we assessed the spiritual and religious beliefs of 34 burn patients who were referred to Plastic Surgery for reconstruction, using the validated Belief into Action Scale (BIAC), which measures strength of beliefs on a scale from 10 to 100. A Likert scale from 1 to 10 was used to evaluate spiritual needs. Patients were reassessed 2 years later by telephone interview, after the majority of had completed their reconstruction. We compared before and after BIAC scores, including subscales, using paired Student’s T tests, with p&amp;lt; 0.05 assigned statistical significance. Results BIAC scores increased from 43.6 to 45.6 (p&amp;lt; 0.05) in burn reconstruction patients, over a period of two years. The only subscale that was statistically different was “conforming your life to the teaching of your faith,” which increased from 5.8 to 6.8 (p&amp;lt; 0.05). Burn reconstruction patients reported the importance of their spirituality as a 7.6, the importance of spirituality in reconstruction as a 6.0, and meeting their spiritual needs as 8.6. Regarding demographics of these patients, mean age was 48.3 years, mean time from injury to reconstruction was 1.9 years, gender ratio was 17:17, mean TBSA was 12.4%, and 14/34 had significant neuro-psychiatric illness. 21/34 patients underwent some form of surgical reconstruction, with laser resurfacing of hypertrophic scars the most common procedure (n=16). Conclusions The spiritual and religious beliefs of burn reconstruction patients appear to strengthen over time, despite significant challenges that these patients encounter, either from their initial injury or concurrent neuro-psychiatric morbidity. Meeting these needs in the outpatient setting, through pastoral care and/or the local church community, may further enhance recovery. Applicability of Research to Practice Identifying the spiritual and religious needs of burn patients may enhance recovery from injury.

774 Examination of the Religious and Spiritual Needs of Acutely Injured Burn Patients

Abstract Introduction Despite advances in burn care that dramatically increase survivability for severe burn injuries, individuals who suffer such injuries will likely experience long recovery periods complicated by declines in psychological, social, behavioral, occupational, and sexual functioning. We compared the self-importance of spirituality in a patient’s life with select demographic data in order to better understand the role of spirituality in the treatment and recovery of patients in the Burn Intensive Care Unit (BICU). Methods In this survey study and subsequent retrospective review, we explored the importance of spiritual beliefs and practices to the burn patient population within the BICU. We utilized the Belief into Action Scale (BIAC), which is a validated survey tool designed to quantify the full range of an individual’s religious involvement. Each participant completed one BIAC survey during his or her inpatient stay. We then collected patient demographics, including religious affiliation and the number of pastoral visits received. Injury characteristics and outcome measures were examined including, Total Body Surface Area (TBSA) burn, length of stay (LOS), and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Results Between April and June of 2019, surveys were administered to 32 adult participants. The participants ranged in age from 21 to 83 (mean 52.5), 59% (19/32) were male and 41% (13/32) were female. Of the 32 participants, 69% were Caucasian, 25% were African American, 3% were Hispanic/Latino, and 3% were other. Sixty-six percent (21/32) had no religious affiliation identified within their medical record and 31% (10/32) of patients had at least 1 pastoral visit (range 0–5 visits). TBSA ranged from 0% (10/32) to 35%, seven (22%) participants had an inhalation injury, the most common mechanism of burn injury was flame (43.75%), and the average length of stay was 16 days (range 1–75 days). Mean BIAC score was 44.8 (out of 100), with a median of 46.5 and a standard deviation of 22.6, indicating a moderate degree of spiritual and religious beliefs. Conclusions Acutely injured burn patients, admitted to an urban burn center, report a moderate degree of spiritual and religious beliefs, strongly supporting the need for pastoral care in this population. Applicability of Research to Practice The increased likelihood of survival for severely burn injured patients has led to the need for a greater emphasis on the potential psychological and social morbidity for these individuals. This research highlights the importance of addressing the spiritual needs of burn patients.

Comparison of Spiritual Needs between Patients with Progressive Terminal Kidney Disease and Their Family Caregivers.

The purpose of this study was to compare differences in spiritual needs (SNs) and factors influencing SNs between patients with progressive terminal kidney disease and their family caregivers. An explorative comparative survey was used to identify the SNs of patients (N=102) with progressive terminal kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis and their family caregivers (N=88) at a general hospital located in Seoul, South Korea. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, the independent t-test, one way analysis of variance, the Scheffé test, and multiple regression with dummy variables. The SNs among family caregivers were higher than in the patient group. SNs were higher among those who were religious in both groups. Loving others was the highest-ranked sub-dimension in the patient group, followed in descending order by maintaining positive perspective, finding meaning, Reevaluating beliefs and life, asking "why?", receiving love and spiritual support, preparing for death, and relating to God. In the family group, the corresponding order was maintaining positive perspective, loving others, finding meaning, receiving love and spiritual support, preparing for death, relating to God, and asking "why?". The factors that had a negative influence on the level of SNs were not being religious in the patient group and having only a middle school level of education in the family group. The results of this study may serve as evidence that spiritual care for non-cancer patients' family caregivers should be considered as an important part of hospice and palliative care.

Perceived Professional Characteristics as Correlates of Success Potential Among the Catholic Priests in Selected Dioceses in South-West Nigeria

The modern day priesthood is not just about preaching or meeting the spiritual need, but also the ability to competently attend to the physical and psychological needs of the congregants. A priest is expected to discharge assigned duties in such a way that optimum success is achieved. However, while priest are being theologically prepared, there is the need to also examine some of the psychological traits that could help priests to be successful in the work of the gospel. Hence, this study examined perceived professional characteristics as correlates of success potential of Catholic Priests in selected Dioceses in Southwest Nigeria. The professional characteristics used in the study are genuineness, unconditional positive regard, empathic understanding and reflective listening. The study adopted the descriptive research design of correlational type. Simple random sampling was used to select three Catholic dioceses in the Southwest of Nigeria while, all population sampling technique was used to select 203 priests that formed the respondents of this study. Questionnaire was used to collect data for the study which include Success Potential Scale (α = 0.85), Empathy Scale (α = 0.79), Reflective Listening Scale (α = 0.89) and Unconditional Positive Regard Scale (α = 0.81). Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and Multiple Linear Regression were used for data analysis at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the study shows that genuineness (r=.503, p<0.01), unconditional positive regard (r=.776, p<0.01), empathic understanding (r= .746, p<0.01) and reflective listening (r=.746, p<0.01) had positive relationship with success potential of the priests. The independent variables had significant joint contribution of 65.4% to success potential of the respondents. In addition, reflective listening (β= 0.427, t= 4.919, p <.01), unconditional positive regard (β= 0.264, t= 2.521, p <.05), empathic understanding (β= 0.155, t= 2.431, p <.05) and genuineness (β= 0.112, t= 2.188, p <.05) had significant relative contribution to success potential of the Priests. Based on this study, it was concluded that genuineness, unconditional positive regard, empathic understanding and reflective listening are professional characteristics that correlate with success potential of Catholic Priests in Selected Dioceses in Southwest Nigeria. Keywords: Success potential, professional characteristics, genuineness, unconditional positive regard DOI: 10.7176/DCS/10-3-04 Publication date: March 31 st 2020

Hubungan Karakteristik dan Kecerdasan Spiritual Perawat dengan Pemenuhan Kebutuhan Layanan Spiritual Pasien Rawat Inap

ABSTRACT&#x0D; Nurses in meeting spiritual service needs in patients are influenced by one of the factors namely spiritual intelligence. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between characteristics and nurse's spiritual intelligence by fulfilling the inpatient spiritual service needs in Banten Hospital in 2019. The study was conducted in Banten General Hospital in July-August 2019. This research was quantitative with a cross-sectional design by using a questionnaire as a primary data and using Chi-square test as the data analysis. The sample used all nurses in population with total sampling to 71 nurses. The results showed that respondents who fulfilled the needs of spiritual services were not as good as 37 respondents (52.1%). Bivariate results showed variables related to meeting spiritual service needs, namely the level of education (p value = 0.039), length of work (p value =0.042), and nurse spiritual intelligence (p value =0.022). Based on the results of this study it is suggested that there is a need for assistance or special mentors conducted by senior nurses to junior nurses (length of work ≤ 4 years). Because the results of this research prove that nurses who have a new length of work who have the opportunity to meet the needs of spiritual services are not good for patients.&#x0D; Keywords : Nurses, Spiritual Intelligence, Spiritual Service Needs.

The Role of Spirituality in Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: a Systematic Mixed Studies Review.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has become the standard treatment for many diseases, but it is an intense and distinctive experience for patients. HSCT-related mortality is present throughout the whole process of transplantation, from pretransplantation to recovery. Long-term rehabilitation and the uncertain risk of death evoke feelings of vulnerability, helplessness, and intense fear. Zimmermann et al. proposed that spiritual well-being is an important dimension of quality of life and that patients at the end stage of life require spiritual support in addition to physical care, psychological care, and social support. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to examine the role of spirituality in the process of HSCT. A systematic mixed studies review (SMSR) was based on Pluye and Hong's framework to understand the role of spirituality in patients' experiences while undergoing HSCT. We use the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement to report the results of integration. Fifteen original qualitative studies, 19 quantitative studies, and one mixed method study were included in the systematic mixed studies review. The evidence from the review revealed the following three themes: the spiritual experiences of HSCT patients, the spiritual coping styles of HSCT patients, and the spiritual need changes brought about by HSCT. Few medical institutions currently offer spiritual healing, although HSCT patients with different cultural backgrounds may have different spiritual experiences and spiritual coping styles. Psychotherapists or nurses should be considered to provide spiritual care for patients undergoing HSCT, to help patients cope with disease pressures, promote HSCT patients' comfort, and improve their quality of life.