The effects of spiritual care intervention on spiritual well-being,loneliness, hope and life satisfaction of intensive care unit patients

BackgroundThe intensive care unit is a place where patients try to cope with pain and question the meaning and purpose of life and spiritual needs emerge.ObjectiveThe present study was conducted to examine the effects of spiritual care interventions on the spiritual well-being, loneliness, hope, and life satisfaction of patients treated in intensive care.Research methodologyThe study was conducted in an intensive care unit as an interventional study with a randomized pre-test, post-test, and control group between September and December 2021. A total of 64 patients, 32 in the intervention group and 32 in the control group, were included in the sample. The patients in the intervention group received eight sessions (twice a week) of spiritual nursing interventions according to the Traditions-Reconciliation-Understandings-Searching-Teachers model in the intensive care unit, while the control group received routine nursing care.ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 63.53 ± 4.10 years in the intervention group and 63.37 ± 3.18 years in the control group. Most of the participants in both the intervention (59.4 %) and control (68.7 %) groups were female. Following the intervention, the findings showed that the intervention had positive effects on patients’ spiritual well-being (t = -10.382), loneliness (t = 13.635), hope (t = -10.440), and life satisfaction (t = -10.480) levels (p < 0.001).ConclusionsIt was found that the spiritual care provided in the intensive care unit positively affected patients’ spiritual well-being, hope, loneliness, and life satisfaction levels. It can be recommended that nurses working in intensive care develop a spiritually supportive environment by addressing the spiritual issues of patients and their relatives and using existing spiritual care services.Implications for clinical practiceIntensive care nurses should provide an environment and nursing care that meet their patients’ spiritual needs. Spiritual care can be given to improve spiritual well-being, hope, and life satisfaction levels and to alleviate loneliness in intensive care patients.     

应用颈椎影像评价女性青少年颈椎骨龄与牙龄的相关关系

目的：探讨女性青少年颈椎骨龄、年龄和牙龄之间的关系，为颈椎骨龄的临床应用提供依据。方法：对130名6～14周岁女性初诊患者的颈椎骨龄和牙龄进行测量，运用统计学分析的方法探讨颈椎骨龄、年龄和牙龄之间的关系。结果：颈椎骨龄与年龄之间显著相关（r=0.766）。牙龄与年龄、牙龄与颈椎骨龄之间均显著相关，且牙龄与颈椎骨龄的相关程度大于牙龄与年龄的相关程度。结论：在评价女性青少年牙齿发育与全身发育状况的关系，确定最适宜的正畸治疗时机等方面，颈椎骨龄是更好的参考依据。     

Household income and spiritual well-being but not body mass index as determinants of poor self-rated health among African American adolescents

Very little is known about predictors of subjective health status among African American adolescents. This study was designed to determine whether selected anthropometric, psychological, lifestyle behavioral, and structural variables predicted poor self-rated general health in a cross-sectional nonclinical sample of 310 female African American adolescents, 14-18 years old. The odds of reporting poor self-rated health were 2-3 times greater for African American teens from lower socioeconomic households when compared to teens residing in higher socioeconomic households and for those reporting infrequent participation in activities that promote spiritual well-being compared to those who participate more frequently in activities that enhance spiritual health. Findings indicate that socioeconomic level and engagement in behaviors that enhance healthy spirituality appear to be the most salient predictors of self-rated health. In addition to biodiversity considerations that influence perceptions of health status, culturally focused interventions should integrate variables shown to influence self-rated health among African American teens. These inclusions may inform a more integrated understanding of health, health outcomes, and health disparities in this vulnerable population.     

Quality of life among adolescents with cancer.

The purpose of this study is to enable adolescents with cancer to self-evaluate their quality of life (QoL). Data were collected using a newly developed Likertscaled QoL instrument. In addition, each participant could comment on how the variable impacted his or her QoL. Demographic data were self-disclosed to describe the sample population of 75 adolescents (41 males and 34 females). Overall QoL scores ranged from 27 to 48 (mean = 41.27, SD = 4.31) of a possible 48. Quality of life scores were lowest among those who were female and presently receiving therapy. Overall reliability for the instrument is acceptable ( r = .77). These data reveal that adolescents are aware that their QoL is affected by cancer and its treatment. This instrument demonstrates scores that are statistically different (P = .000) between those presently receiving treatment compared with those not receiving treatment. Although not statistically significant, mean scores for females were lower than for males (P = .030), regardless of other variables. Further administration and psychometric testing of the instrument is planned.     

A prospective descriptive study exploring hope, spiritual well-being, and quality of life in hospitalized patients

A study evaluating relationships among interventions and outcomes of hope, spiritual well-being, quality of life and length of stay in hospitalized patients at admission, discharge, and 6 weeks after discharge is described. The findings highlight the importance of presence, listening; and other caring behaviors in the patient experience.     

Motives to use alcohol among adolescents according to their neighbourhood characteristics,gender, age,and drinking patterns

The aim of this study is to understand if motives to drink are associated to certain patterns of drinking and specific socio-demographic drinkers’ characteristics.

As part of the Portugal Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey, developed with 5050 pupils (47.7% of boys), attending the 6th, 8th, and 10th grade levels and with a mean age of 13.98 years (SD = 1.85), the present study was carried out using the “Drinking Motive Questionnaire Revised Short Form” (Kuntsche & Kuntsche, 2009) in order to investigate the drinking motives among young people and its relationship with neighborhood characteristics, gender, age, and drinking patterns. Results showed that social motives are the most frequent, followed by enhancement, coping, and conformity motives. Statistically significant differences were found between gender and grade (a proxy for age), being essentially the boys who consume more socially and the boys of the 8th grade that reported to consume for enhancement motives, cope with negative emotions, or to affirm themselves within peers group. Differences between the place of residence and consumption patterns are also found, showing that pupils who live in a neighborhood marked by many night entertainment venues, violence and theft, along with its location in an isolated area, have a significantly higher average in the four motives. Considering the drinking pattern, drinking to cope or for conformity motives are more common during the week and during the day, while drinking for social motives is more frequent during the day. Implications of the results for health and educational public policies are discussed.     

A study on the effects of spiritual group therapy on hope and the mental and spiritual health of patients with colorectal cancer

Objectives: Patients with cancer experience a lot of emotional, mental, social, and spiritual crises. However, not much has been done to meet these needs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of spiritual group therapy on hope and the mental and spiritual health of patients with colorectal cancer.

Design and methods: This quasi-experimental study was carried out in 2013 in Kerman, Iran, on 80 colorectal cancer patients, who fulfilled the eligibility criteria. After the pre-test of both groups, eight sessions of 1.5?h were held once a week for spiritual group therapy, and finally both groups underwent the post-test. To collect data, Snyder’s hope scale, the Paloutzian–Ellison 20-item spiritual health questionnaire, and the Goldberg Health Questionnaire were used. The data were analysed using the SPSS statistical software version 16.

Results: Comparing the mean scores of hope, mental health, and spiritual health before and after the intervention showed a significant difference (P?Conclusion: The study results show that spiritual group therapy has a significant positive impact on the mental and spiritual health of patients with colorectal cancer, and that it also gives them hope. Thus, the use of spiritual therapy is suggested as a good way to improve the spiritual and mental health and hope in patients with colorectal cancer.     

晚期肝癌患者预感性悲伤与灵性健康的相关性研究

目的：调查晚期肝癌患者预感性悲伤与灵性健康的相关性。方法：收集2019年1至9月天津市某三级甲等专科医院255例晚期肝癌患者,采用一般资料调查表、预感性悲伤量表及灵性健康量表进行调查。结果:晚期肝癌患者预感性悲伤得分为（35.75±9.21）分,灵性健康得分（31.93±7.24）分,预感性悲伤与灵性健康呈负相关（P<0.05）。 结论：临床人员可通过尊严疗法及生命意义疗法,满足患者的灵性需求,帮助患者以积极态度应对死亡,缓解预感性悲伤,平静祥和渡过人生最后阶段。     

Sex, gender, and age: contributions to laboratory pain responding in children and adolescents.

A cross-sectional design across late childhood and adolescence examined the influence of sex, gender socialization, and age on responses to controlled laboratory pain tasks. Healthy children and adolescents (n = 240, 50% female, age 8 to 18 years) completed the Child Sex Role Inventory, a self-report measure of identification with stereotypically masculine and feminine personality traits, as an index of gender socialization and participated in pressure, cold pressor, and heat pain tasks. Pain tolerance, pain intensity, and bothersomeness of each pain task were assessed. Masculinity correlated with lower heat pain ratings in boys but not girls. Logistic regression indicated cold pain intensity ratings were predicted by sex, gender score, and the age-by-gender score interaction. Heat pain intensity was predicted by age, gender score, age-by-gender score interaction, and sex-by-gender score. PERSPECTIVE: The current findings support closer examination of the influence of gender socialization on young people's pain responses and highlight the importance of a multifactorial, developmental approach to studying the impact of gender socialization on the emergence of sex differences in pain responses after puberty.     

Life review interviews on the spiritual well-being of terminally ill cancer patients

Goals  The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate the treatment efficacy of life review interviews on the spiritual well-being of terminally ill cancer patients, and (2) to explore any differences in the responses of patients who obtained clinical benefits and those who did not. Materials and methods  Structured life review interviews were conducted with 12 patients in a palliative care unit in Japan. They completed the SELT-M (Skalen zur Erfassung von Lebens qualitat bei Tumorkranken–Modified Version) questionnaire before and after the interviews. The patients were classified into two groups: effective (patients who showed an increase in the SELT-M scores after the intervention) and noneffective groups. Meaningful spoken sentences from the patients’ life reviews were transcribed and correspondence analysis was conducted on the sentences using text mining software. Results  The mean overall QOL score and spirituality subscale score of the SELT-M significantly increased after the life reviews from 2.57±0.61 to 3.58±1.0 (P=0.013) and 2.57±0.61 to 3.14±2.25 (P=0.023), respectively. Three dimensions were extracted from the effective group based on the scores “Positive view of life,” “Pleasure in daily activities and good human relationships,” and “Balanced evaluation of life.” Similarly, three dimensions were extracted from the noneffective group: “Worries about future caused by disease,” “Conflicts in family relationship problems,” and “Confrontation of practical problems.” Conclusion  Life review interviews may be effective in improving the spiritual well-being of terminally ill cancer patients. The potential predictors of treatment success are “positive view of life,” “pleasure in daily activities and good human relationships,” and a “balanced evaluation of life,” while those of treatment failure are “worries about future caused by disease,” “conflicts in family relationships,” and “confrontation of practical problems.” Further intervention trials on patients with predictors of treatment success are promising.     

Sources of social support and adjustment among Chinese cancer survivors: gender and age differences

Introduction

Social support has shown to improve adjustment among cancer survivors. However, it is unclear how health benefits of social support depend on the source of support, age, and gender. Chinese culture emphasizes relationship harmony and interdependence, providing a unique opportunity to address these questions. This study investigated how support from different sources was associated with adjustment to cancer and how the association was moderated by gender and age.

Methods

Chinese cancer survivors (N?=?238) from Beijing completed a questionnaire packet assessing support from different sources (e.g., family, friends, special others, society, and cancer organization) and adjustment (e.g., quality of life and positive and negative affect).

Results

Perceived support from family was greater than support from other sources among Chinese cancer survivors. After controlling for support from other sources, greater support from family and society was associated with higher quality of life, more positive affect, and less negative affect. Support from family showed a stronger negative correlation with negative affect among males, and support from special others showed a stronger negative correlation with negative affect among females. Support from society had a stronger positive association with quality of life, and support from friends had a stronger negative association with quality of life among younger survivors than among older survivors.

Conclusions

Findings highlight that health benefits of social support depend on the source of support, gender, and age among Chinese cancer survivors. The study has implications for delivering individualized healthcare services tailored to the preferences of cancer survivors based on their cultural backgrounds and demographic characteristics.     

Providing spiritual care to patients with cancer

Patients with cancer, oncology nurses, and chaplains agree that nurses should provide spiritual care, but organizational and professional barriers often exist. To overcome these barriers, many nurses need only to complement their professional skill sets of problem solving, critical thinking, caring, and communication with knowledge of some spiritual-care specifics. This article provides basic definitions of religion and spirituality and their relationship as well as suggested religiospiritual assessment strategies, standard spiritual diagnoses, a pragmatic intervention approach, and documentation recommendations.     

灵性关怀培训对护士灵性健康和灵性照护能力的影响

目的探讨灵性关怀培训方案对护士灵性健康和灵性照护能力的影响。方法2018年3—9月以自愿报名的方式在某省肿瘤医院招募80名护士参与研究,以随机数字表法将其分为试验组(40名)和对照组(40名)。试验组在常规业务学习的基础上连续6个月接受每月2次的集体灵性关怀培训,主要形式包括专家授课、团体干预、临床实践和案例分享;对照组连续6个月参与医院组织的业务学习。培训前后,采用灵性健康量表和灵性照护认知量表对两组护士进行调查,比较培训效果。结果培训6个月后,试验组护士灵性健康和灵性照护认知总分分别为(106.30±8.72)、(185.75±16.53)分,均高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(t值分别为5.38、4.52;P<0.01);各维度得分也均高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(t值为2.22~5.22,P<0.05);且试验组护士的灵性健康和灵性照护认知总分及各维度得分均高于试验组干预前得分,差异有统计学意义(t值为3.18~8.99,P<0.01)。结论基于自我与患者共同成长理念构建的灵性关怀培训方案可提高护士的灵性健康和灵性照护认知水平。