The Relationship Between Spiritual Caregiving and Compassion Levels Among Turkish Nurses: An ICU Case Study

Abstract

This descriptive and correlational study aimed to determine the levels of spiritual caregiving and compassion among Turkish Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses and evaluate the relationship between these two variables. This study included 135 ICU nurses working in a university hospital in Turkey. Descriptive information forms, the Compassion Scale (CS), and the Spiritual Care-Giving Scale (SCGS) were used for data collection. The participants' mean CS score was high, with the separation and common humanity subscales yielding the lowest and highest scores, respectively. The mean SCGS score was high, with the lowest and highest scores obtained from the spiritual care attitudes and spirituality perspectives, respectively. There is a positive correlation between CS and SCGS scores. This study concluded that Turkish ICU nurses demonstrated high levels of compassion and spiritual care and that there is a positive relationship between them. Cultural factors can affect compassion and spiritual care; therefore, future studies in different cultures are necessary to provide more valid evidence, possibly through experimental studies.