Spirituality and spiritual well-being among a group of nursing alumni: Correlated with selected and perceptual and demographic variables

The purpose of this study was to better understand the nurses role in meeting the spiritual needs of clients by examining the nurses\u27 own spirituality and spiritual well-being and relating it to selected experiences in their personal and professional responsibilities. The JAREL Spiritual Well-Being Scale, an instrument that assesses spiritual well-being, and an additional questionnaire were used to assess individual spirituality and spiritual well-being. The subjects studied consisted of a purposeful sample, selected randomly from a group of nursing alumni who graduated from a single Midwest School of Nursing/College, between the years of 1919-1996. Five hundred and twenty-five subjects (53%) participated in the study. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS-X. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used on both the dependent and independent variables to determine differences between and among groups. Factor analysis of the JAREL Scale was done to assess the how the items on the scale of this study clustered around the three factors as described by the authors of the scale. Results included numerous differences with each of the variables. Perceived physical and spiritual health, reported religious practice, and subjective rating of personal spirituality was associated with high levels of spiritual well-being in all sub-scale scores and the total score of the JAREL Scale. The number of years of practicing nursing did not influence spirituality in this group. However, a statistical difference was found between those currently practicing and not practicing on the Life/Self-Responsibility sub-scale of the JAREL Scale. A statistically significant difference was found in all sub-scale scores and the total score of the JAREL for these nurses, demonstrating a high level of spirituality when compared to their perception of the current importance of assessing and planning care for the spiritual needs of the client, as well as the importance of having educational curricula and continuing education in the areas of the spiritual dimension as it relates to the assessment and planning of care for the client