Spiritual Well-Being: The Ideals and Realities Experienced by Student Nurses in a Faith-based University in Indonesia
Juniarta (a*), Ineke Patrisia (a)

a) Fakultas Keperawatan, Universitas Pelita Harapan
Jl. Boulevard Jend. Sudirman no 15A
*juniarta.sinaga[at]uph.edu

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the difference between nursing students^ ideals for spiritual well-being, their lived experiences and perceptions of care as they assist patients in enhancing spiritual well-being on four domains of spiritual health. This was a quantitative study conducted in a faith-based nursing school in Indonesia involving 197 students. The Spiritual Health and Life-Orientation Measure (SHALOM) questionnaire was used to assess four domains of spiritual health which consists of personal, communal, environmental, and/or God. The Friedman^s ANOVA was applied in data analysis. This study showed that there were significant differences in the three areas of spiritual wellbeing (X2(2) =36.170- p = 0.0001). However, in the follow up analysis, this study showed that there was no significant difference between the experienced spiritual wellbeing and the spiritual care given to the patients (p>0.05). Meanwhile, there was a significant difference between the ideal spiritual well-being and the nursing students lived experiences (p=0.0001). Nursing students^ ideals for spiritual well-being that they were not able to live up to, may result in the lower perception on how they help patients^ in the four domains of spiritual well-being. Further studies should be conducted in identifying contributing factors towards nursing students^ spiritual well-being and strategies in enhancing patients^ spiritual well-being as well as meeting their spiritual needs.

Keywords: Spiritual well-being- nursing students

Topic: Nursing Management and Education