Prayer and Religion—Irish Nurses Caring for an Intellectually Disabled Child Who Has Died

religions Article Prayer and Religion—Irish Nurses Caring for an Intellectually Disabled Child Who Has Died Paul Michael Keenan 1 and Ciara MacDermott 2, * 1 2 * School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland; St. Michael’s House, Adare Green, Coolock, Dublin 5, Ireland Correspondence: Academic Editors: Fiona Timmins and Wilfred McSherry Received: 30 November 2016; Accepted: 10 December 2016; Published: 15 December 2016 Abstract: This research paper was presented at the Second International Spirituality in Healthcare Conference 2016—Nurturing the Spirit held at Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin. 23rd June 2016. Historically, nursing has had a sound “spiritual” grounding. However, some contemporary health literature is questioning spirituality’s relevance, and practitioners often shy away from it. This article aims to highlight the findings of a study which, in exploring the nurse’s personal grief relating to caring for a child with an intellectual disability who has died, identified the practice and value of spirituality in nursing practice. A qualitative descriptive research approach was employed. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with eight female nurses who had cared for a child with an intellectual disability who has died. Data was analyzed using Newell and Burnard’s pragmatic approach to qualitative data. Ethical Approval was granted by University of Dublin, Trinity College and the relevant healthcare provider. Eight broad themes emerged from the study. “Prayer and Religion” was a sub-theme of “Focusing on the positive”, which is the main focus of this article, and discussed in depth for the first time. Spirituality and religion plays a key role in the daily lives of many nurses, who further embrace this aspect of their lives when managing dying, death and bereavement. It became evident that spirituality was not merely a reactive strategy, but one underpinning a participant’s core nursing values. Nurse Managers and colleagues should continue to acknowledge, respect and support staff’s spirituality. Keywords: grief; nursing; children; intellectual disabilities; support; spirituality; religion; faith; qualitative research; semi-structured interviews 1. Introduction This paper was presented at the Second International Spirituality in Healthcare Conference 2016—Nurturing the Spirit held at Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, 23rd June 2016. Paediatric palliative care is an area of practice where nurses encounter grief. In this rapidly developing area of nursing, it is important that the care of the professional is considered simultaneously with the care of the children and families [1–3]. Nurses receive their support in different ways from varying sources. One area of support is the nurse’s own and colleagues’ spirituality [4,5]. This paper focuses on the sub-theme of prayer and religion, which was identified in a qualitative descriptive study into the grief experience of eight female nurses who have cared for children with an intellectual disability who have died. 2. Literature Review The literature review searched the following professionally respected databases: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Pubmed, Cochrane, Medline, and Religions 2016, 7, 148; doi:10.3390/rel7120148 www.mdpi.com/journal/religions Religions 2016, 7, 148 2 of 6 Internurse.com to uncover from the most reliable peer-reviewed literature what is currently known and not known in this area of nursing practice. The search terms and their equivalents were “grief”, “nurse”, “nurse’s role”, “grief experience”, “death”, “intellectual disability”, “palliative care” and “children”, “support”. According to the Irish Scope of Nursing and Midwifery Practice Framework, in practicing the art and science of nursing holistically, professional practice should be “grounded in an understanding of the social, emotional, cultural, spiritual, psychological and physical experiences of patients . . . ” [6]. While the nursing literature provides a varied range of definitions for spirituality, no one authoritative definition is evident [7], and the term is not very well understood within practice [8]. However, Narayanasamy [9] states that it is basically an individual’s search to seek meaning in life. Walsh ([10], p. 158), in discussing Lumen Fidei [11], offers further depth to this in that he speaks of spirituality in terms of giving “meaning and purpose to our lives”. The concept “religion” is seen as interconnected, yet separate to “spirituality” and can be understood as the practice by individuals of particular theological beliefs and values through ritualistic frameworks [7,12] and everyday living. Nurses practice in an increasingly secular age, where many nurses shy away from identifying the spiritual needs of others [7], and, therefore, do not adequately respond. This may raise ethical concerns regarding, for example, omission. Equally, a study by Shinbara and Olsen [13] explored spirituality that relates to nurses grieving for the loss of patients. This study highlights that spirituality is described as a support that nurses use and find effective. Seventy-five percent of the research participants in their study reported that spirituality was important in their daily lives, while seventy percent said that spirituality supported them in coping with the grief associated with patient loss. Holland and Niemeyer [14] discussed the everyday experiences of spirituality relating to professional well-being, specifically related to the effect on burnout levels and staff resilience. MacDonald and Friedman [15] suggest that higher levels of spirituality correlate to a lower level of burnout in nurses. No research studies were retrieved that focused on the nurse’s grief experience when caring for a child with an intellectual disability who has died, thus providing justification for undertaking the study in the first place. 3. Aim and Objectives The aim of the study was to explore the individual grief experience of nurses who have cared for a child with an intellectual disability who has died. The purpose was to increase professional knowledge in this area with a view to improving nursing practice. The study’s objectives were to ascertain the nurses’ understanding of grief, to gain an understanding of the nurses’ personal grief experiences, and to establish the support systems nurses utilise to manage personal grief, and evaluate their effectiveness. 4. Methodology Research Design: A qualitative descriptive research approach was used. This provided participants with the opportunity to describe their grief experience and how this was managed. This provided an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the personal grief experiences of these nurses, and how this may be comparable to other nurses in similar situations. Ethical Considerations: Ethical Approval was granted by Trin (...truncated)