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Background & Aim: HIV/AIDS is a well-recognized global problem in the world, including Iran. It is necessary to comprehend and understand lived experience of HIV positive patients. The present study was designed and conducted to better understand the perspectives and experiences of HIV positive patients about the role of the spirituality and religious beliefs in their lives with HIV/AIDS.

Methods & Materials: This qualitative study was conducted using an interpretative phenomenological approach. In-depth, audio-taped and semi-structured interviews with 19 participants were conducted to collect data. Data were transcript. Observations were also recorded in comprehensive field notes. A hermeneutic approach was used to analyze the data, according to the method developed by Diekelmann.

Results: According to the findings, participants aged between 21 and 56 years of old at the time of contamination to the HIV. Almost half (47.4%) of the participants had CD4 counts under 200 cells/mm3. Analyzes of the data revealed three main themes: (a) Redefining religious values and communicating with God (b) Compensation and (c) Individual development. The themes included some sub-themes.

Conclusion: Experiencing difficult conditions in HIV positive individuals provide them with an opportunity to return to religious values, redefine themselves and give meaning to their lives, rather than fear or disappointment. Communicating with other HIV positive patients and religious experts are suggested as additional appropriate strategies.

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Background & Aim: Spiritual care along with other nursing interventions balance body and soul. This study aimed to determine the effect of spiritual care on death anxiety in hemodialysis patients with end-stage of renal disease.
Methods & Materials: A clinical trial (IRCT2016308226961N1) was performed in Hamadan’s Shahid Beheshti and Besat hospitals in 2016. A total of 60 hemodialysis patients with end-stage of renal disease were randomly assigned into two groups of intervention (30 patients) and control (30 patients). In the intervention group, the spiritual care program consisted of protective care, supporting the patient’s rituals and using the support systems, was performed in hemodialysis ward at the patient’s bedside. The control group only received routine nursing care. The Templar’s death anxiety questionnaire was completed by both groups before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics using the SPSS software version 16.
Results: The average score for death anxiety before the intervention between the intervention group (8.10±2.26) and control group (8.53±2.47) had not significant difference (P=0.482), while the average score for death anxiety after the intervention had statistically significant difference (P=0.004) between the intervention group with median value of 8.0 (6.00-8.25) and control group with median value of 9.0 (7.00-10.25), and the patients’ death anxiety reduced in the intervention group.
Conclusion: Spiritual care program reduced death anxiety in hemodialysis patients with end-stage of renal disease. Nurses can use spiritual care program to reduce patients’ death anxiety.
 

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Background & Aim: Domestic violence has many negative consequences on the physical, mental and well-being of pregnant women. Today, spiritual health is recognized as one of the most important factors in protecting individuals against physical and mental problems. The aim of the study was to investigate spiritual health and its relationship with demographic characteristics of pregnant women with domestic violence in the south of Iran.
Methods & Materials: This descriptive study was conducted in 2020 on 305 pregnant mothers with domestic violence experience, referred to comprehensive health centers in Jiroft. Subjects were selected by the convenience sampling method, and data were collected using the Spiritual Health Scale and the short form of the Domestic Violence Screening Scale. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 24 and independent t-test, analysis of variance and linear regression.
Results: The mean (and standard deviation) score of spiritual health was 79.89(18.98). Spiritual health score has a statistically significant inverse relationship with the women’s age (P<0.001, r_s=-0.18), duration of marriage (P<0.001 and r_s=-0.32), number of children (P<0.001, r_s=-0.26) and domestic violence (P<0.001, r_s=-0.65). The results of regression analysis showed that the duration of marriage, spouse occupation, and domestic violence were the predictors of participants’ spiritual health score (R²=0.45).
Conclusion: The findings of the study can help medical staff and social workers who are in contact with pregnant women experiencing domestic violence to identify and devise strategies to promote spirituality as a way leading these women towards health.

 

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Background & Aim: Nurses’ attitudes towards death affect their caregiving practices. Spiritual intelligence, by promoting a deeper understanding of the meaning of life and death, may improve the nurses’ attitudes towards death. This study aimed to investigate the predictive role of spiritual intelligence on attitudes towards death and care for dying patients among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses.
Methods & Materials: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2023 at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, involving a sample of 200 ICU nurses. Data were collected using instruments, including demographic questionnaires, the Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAPR), King’s Spiritual Intelligence Scale, and the End-of-Life Care Assessment Scale (EOLCAS). Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16.
Results: Correlation analysis showed a statistically significant positive relationship between spiritual intelligence and both caring for dying patients (P<0.01, r=0.265) and attitudes towards death (P<0.001, r=0.360). Among the dimensions of spiritual intelligence, critical existential thinking emerged as a significant predictor of attitudes towards death (P<0.001, β=1.207) and evaluation of dying patient care (P<0.001, β=0.880).
Conclusion: The findings suggest that spiritual intelligence may play a vital role in shaping positive attitudes towards death and improving the quality of care for dying patients. It is recommended that nursing managers incorporate strategies to enhance spirituality in clinical practice to optimize end-of-life care.