SPIRITUAL FORMATION

Spiritual Formation And Its Impact On Health

Table Of Content

Table Of Content2

Chapter14

Introduction4

The Importance of Spirituality, Religion, and Health5

Negative Effects of Religious Involvement and Spirituality8

Objectives of te Study9

Chapter210

Literature Review10

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES10

CONCEPTS RELATED TO SPIRITUALITY10

Spirituality, Religion, and Faith11

Spirituality11

Religion12

Characteristics of Spirituality13

Faith14

Reflect on…14

Spiritual Development14

Prayer and Meditation18

Reflect on…19

Types of Prayer19

Selected Spiritual And Religious Beliefs Influencing Nursing Care20

Holy Days20

Sacred Writings and Symbols21

Dress24

Health Beliefs and Practices24

Reflect on…25

Dietary Beliefs26

Pain and Its Spiritual Meaning27

Childbirth and Perinatal Care27

Death and Dying28

Reflect on…30

Spiritual Distress30

Providing Spiritually Competent Care31

Spiritual Assessment31

Diagnosing, Planning, and Implementing Spiritually Competent Care32

SPIRIT Model for Assessing Spirituality32

Assessing Spiritual Needs35

ENVIRONMENT35

BEHAVIOR36

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS36

Critical Thinking Exercise37

Providing Presence37

Supporting Religious Practices37

Assisting Clients with Prayer38

Supporting Religious Practices38

Referring Clients for Spiritual Counseling40

Summary Of The Literature Review41

Chapter 343

Methodology43

REFERENCES47

Chapter 1

Introduction

In viewing people holistically, nurses must consider the spiritual and religious beliefs of clients when providing care. The United States and Canada have a diversity of spiritual and religious beliefs; therefore, nurses must be informed about and sensitive to the spiritual and religious influences on the beliefs and practices related to health and illness (Table 22-1). Nurses should understand how individuals' spiritual beliefs influence their health decision making, providing strength during illness and times of adversity, and how spiritual and faith communities can provide support for health, healing, and dying.

Table 22-1 United States Religious Diversity 1995/2002

Religion

1995 (%)

2002 (%)

Protestant

56

53

Catholic

27

25

Jewish

2

2

Orthodox

1

1

Mormon

1

2

Other*

5

8

None

8

9

* Other includes Muslim, Buddhist, Unitarian, Hindu, Bahai, Taoist, Rastafarian, Sikh, Santeria, and others, each with less than 1%.

Source: Statistical Abstracts of the United States, 2002.

Nurses must also understand how their own spiritual beliefs affect their ability to relate to people whose beliefs are different from their own. Health care professionals are not expected to know and understand all spiritual and religious belief systems of the world. It is possible, however, for health care professionals to develop an awareness of those spiritual and religious belief systems that are prevalent in the community where they practice.

The Importance of Spirituality, Religion, and Health

Because many people do not distinguish between the concepts of spirituality and religion, most research linking spirituality to health has measured religious beliefs or practices. Research on spirituality as manifested by a faith in a higher power, however, recently has experienced a surge of interest, and spirituality measures are being developed that may assist in future research

Religion provides many patients with social support as well as a clinically effective cognitive schema that enhance well-being and lower distress. Religious involvement predicts successful coping with physical illness. High intrinsic religiousness predicts more rapid remission of depression, an association that is particularly strong in patients whose physical function is not improving .(O'Connell,2005)

An estimated 350 studies have examined religious involvement and health. Most of these have found that religious people are physically healthier, lead healthier lifestyles, and require fewer health services than those who are not religious. During the past three decades, at least 18 carefully controlled prospective studies have shown that religiously involved people live longer and that highly religious people had 29% higher odds of survival compared with less religious people.More than 850 studies examined the relationship between religious involvement and various aspects of mental ...