A desire to more fully understand the impact of altered states of spiritual health on the general health of patients has been a focus of recent research activity. Studies have explored the meaning of spirituality held by patients and nurses, the spiritual needs of patients, and methods of providing spiritual care in nursing. However, few studies have investigated nurses’ own spiritual health and the significance this may have on the provision of holistic nursing care. The aim of this study, therefore, was to inform nursing regarding the spiritual health of nurses and the influence that nurses’ own spiritual health has on their ability to provide holistic nursing care to their patients. The study was conducted in two phases using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Phase one consisted of a survey of Division 1 nurses currently employed in the Grampians region of Victoria to describe key dimensions of their spiritual health. This survey provided biographical data and, through the use of the “Shalom Measure of Spiritual Health”, discovered the ideal of spiritual health held by nurses as well as the nurses’ perception of patient needs pertaining to the achievement of spiritual health. Phase two utilised Naturalistic Inquiry to further explore the meaning of spirituality and spiritual health held by nurses, and the methods of achieving these for nurses and patients. The findings revealed that although nurses perceive the spiritual dimension of patient care to be important, they feel ill-equipped to provide this aspect of care. In addition, the major support for nurses, who themselves experience spiritual distress whilst at work, comes from colleagues. Further, prevailing health care systems in place do not always lend themselves to holistic approaches to care. This study identifies the need for nurse education to redress the clearly inadequate preparation nurses are given for this aspect of their role. Health care policy-makers and administrators also have a responsibility to consider all dimensions of care when designing and implementing health care guidelines and systems. / Master of Nursing

A desire to more fully understand the impact of altered states of spiritual health on the general health of patients has been a focus of recent research activity. Studies have explored the meaning of spirituality held by patients and nurses, the spiritual needs of patients, and methods of providing spiritual care in nursing. However, few studies have investigated nurses’ own spiritual health and the significance this may have on the provision of holistic nursing care. The aim of this study, therefore, was to inform nursing regarding the spiritual health of nurses and the influence that nurses’ own spiritual health has on their ability to provide holistic nursing care to their patients. The study was conducted in two phases using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Phase one consisted of a survey of Division 1 nurses currently employed in the Grampians region of Victoria to describe key dimensions of their spiritual health. This survey provided biographical data and, through the use of the “Shalom Measure of Spiritual Health”, discovered the ideal of spiritual health held by nurses as well as the nurses’ perception of patient needs pertaining to the achievement of spiritual health. Phase two utilised Naturalistic Inquiry to further explore the meaning of spirituality and spiritual health held by nurses, and the methods of achieving these for nurses and patients. The findings revealed that although nurses perceive the spiritual dimension of patient care to be important, they feel ill-equipped to provide this aspect of care. In addition, the major support for nurses, who themselves experience spiritual distress whilst at work, comes from colleagues. Further, prevailing health care systems in place do not always lend themselves to holistic approaches to care. This study identifies the need for nurse education to redress the clearly inadequate preparation nurses are given for this aspect of their role. Health care policy-makers and administrators also have a responsibility to consider all dimensions of care when designing and implementing health care guidelines and systems. / Master of Nursing

Spiritual health is one of the essential components of health, where patients search for meaning and purpose in life. Patients with life threatening illnesses experience distress, both physically and spiritually. There are studies which found that nurses did not regularly integrate spiritual care into their daily routine, due to lack of time and lack of education. It is important to discover existing evidences of spiritual interventions which help the nurses promote spiritual health as regards to patients’ need in hospital settings. The aim of this study was to describe nursing interventions applied in promoting spiritual health for patients with life threatening illnesses in hospital settings. A literature review of sixteen articles was carried out. Articles were retrieved from CINAHL and MEDLINE databases to answer the study’s objective. Eleven articles were retrieved from the databases and five articles were found using an ancestry search. A process of re-reading and finding the similar categories from articles was being used to develop themes in analyzing the data. Results were categorized into three themes: person-centred communication, adapting a team approach, and modifying the physical environment. It was found that the nurses conducted a deeper level of communication which covered topics about patients’ wishes and hopes, and being there for patients as major interventions. The nurses also assessed patients’ spiritual needs prior to interventions, and were promoting patients and family belief and value in a respectful way. Family and referrals were also included in the intervention given by the palliative care team, moreover the nurses were providing privacy with regards to supporting a healing environment. In conclusion acknowledgement of dying is essential in providing appropriate care. It is essential for the nurses to be prepared adequately through education, to conduct spiritual care interventions within a person-centred care approach. The information from this study may improve the quality of delivering spiritual care in hospital settings for patients with life threatening illnesses. Further recommendation for future research is to explore deeper about various spiritual nursing interventions from various cultures.

Are there vestiges or elements of African traditional cultural beliefs and practices that affect the psychological and spiritual well-being of African Christian students in Tangaza University College (TUC)? If there are, how best can pastoral carers work with the affected students to help them deal with the issues and regain congruence? These questions, arising out of our practice in the Student Life Ministry in TUC, are the puzzles I set out this study to try to resolve. Our experience was that some of the students were presenting issues in counselling and spiritual direction emanating from unresolved conflict between their African backgrounds and the Christian faith. Observation was that the issues did not surface easily and when they did the carers were not sure how best to help the clients. I thus felt a need to find out what cultural issues affect the students, how the issues manifest in their lives and how best the pastoral care team could work with those affected to help the issues surface and be resolved. This is an original research designed as an inductive case study and to collect data, a multi-dimensional approach including focus discussion groups with students and members of the SLM, depth interviews with SLM members, selection of some vignettes of counselling and spiritual direction and practitioner observation - were used. The main finding is that there indeed are elements of African beliefs and practices that impinge on the psychological and spiritual wellbeing of some of the African Christian students in TUC. However, not all the students experience such dissonance as some have developed a synthesis between their two world views. Those who have not are embarrassed about and reticent in disclosing the issues thus the need for the pastoral carers to help them to integrate their traditional culture with their Christian faith. Clinical experience has shown that by combining two counselling models – the Rogerian Person-centred and Albert Ellis’s Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy, underpinned in a dialogical, theological paradigm, counsellors and spiritual guides can help the affected students not only to talk about the issues but also to work through them to re-gain equilibrium and enjoy greater fullness of life.

Due to the subjective nature of pain and the profound debilitating effects of pain for a growing number of people, there are many challenges to approaching and fully addressing its problems. The traditional biomedical model of health limits its treatment focus to the physical components of pain. Biomedicine provides useful and effective short-term relief of bodily symptoms, but usually cannot cure pain that persists in both mind and body over time. Because chronic pain is often accompanied with discomfort, depression, and other significant life impairments, health researchers have recently conceptualized more comprehensive models to address pain. In the bio-psycho-social-spiritual health model, chronic pain is assessed and treated in the context of a person’s overall quality of life, considering biological, psychological, social, and spiritual health conditions. This movement towards adopting integrative health care models can also provide patient guidance needed for developing inner resources to adapt to pain, as well as recover from and prevent disease. Self-compassion comes from a fertile field of inquiry emerging out of a wider conception of health that includes spirituality. The construct is based on three related components that can assist a person living with pain: (a) being kind to oneself while in pain or suffering, (b) perceiving difficult times as shared human experiences, and (c) holding painful thoughts and feelings with mindfulness, instead of over-identification. Measured using the Self-Compassion Scale, it demonstrates positive associations with a variety of health indicators. However, a direct relationship with chronic pain has not yet been examined. In applying recent research in quality of life (QoL) and self-compassion to a chronic pain patient population, the purpose of this study is twofold: (a) to produce a comprehensive assessment of bio-psycho-social-spiritual QoL conditions (b) to examine differences in QoL with the presence of self-compassion and determine its potential moderating effect on life impairments due to pain. From this project, the QoL conditions that are affected by chronic pain and the moderation effect of self-compassion will be understood better so that more effective treatment and prevention procedures can be developed for people living with pain from long-term disease conditions. / text

During the pandemic of Covid-19 the restrictions changed the abilities of gatherings, so also for the members of the Church of Sweden, and questions arose from spokesperson of the Church of Sweden on the behalf of the members regarding injustice or discredit of the right of freedom of religion. This thesis handles how the restrictions affected the Church of Sweden, if there was any discredit for the freedom of religion and if people in Sweden found other alternatives during the pandemic to express spiritual life outdoors when there were limitations indoors for gatherings. My main source of material has been Kyrkans tidning (The Church’s Paper), a newspaper for the Church of Sweden, with articles involving the Archbishop Antje Jackelén. In the thesis are both qualitative and quantitate methods used, an inductive document analysis combined with a manual content analysis with the codewords experiential, social, economic, and political, concepts from a theory of religion and politics. The inference in this thesis is that there has been an injustice committed against members of the Church of Sweden, with reference to some of the restrictions settled by the Public Health Agency. Even though the Church of Sweden and the Sweden’s Christian Council might not agree, the comparison made between the articles, the United Declarations of Human Rights, other convents, and the definitions of religions there was no indication that the freedom of religion was illegally affected in Sweden during the pandemic of Covid-19.

Inledning: Svenska skolbarns hälsovanor visar på en ökning av den psykiska ohälsan men också att ungdomar skattar sin emotionella psykiska hälsa som god eller mycket god. Vårdkonsumtionen bland ungdomar i Sverige har ökat markant. WHO definierar åtta olika perspektiv som byggstenar för existentiell hälsa: hopp, harmoni, helhet, meningsfullhet, förundran, andlig kontakt, personlig tro och gemenskap. Syftet med denna studie är att ge en beskrivning av ungdomars existentiella hälsa idag.  Frågeställningar: Hur upplever fyra psykoterapeuter och en psykolog ungdomars/unga vuxnas existentiella hälsa idag? På vilket sätt kan terapi inkluderande existentiella perspektiv bidra till bättre livskvalitet och existentiell hälsa för ungdomar? Metod: Fyra psykoterapeuter och en psykolog har intervjuats. Studien utgick från en deskriptiv, kvalitativ forskningsmetod och bearbetningsmetoden var tema analys.   Resultat: Den existentiella hälsan visar på brister. Ungdomarna i dag beskrivs som existentiellt ensamma med en frånvaro av andliga tankar och med flykt och tomhet som sätt att hantera svårigheter. Ungdomar är mer socialt ensamma idag än tidigare. De blir mer lämnade av sina föräldrar och det finns för lite vuxenstöd. I psykoterapi är det viktigt att förmedla att det är normalt att känna psykisk ohälsa under ungdomstiden och att psykoterapeuten blir en bärare av hopp och mening. Diskussion: Resultatet visar på vikten av att ha längre terapier. Det tar tid att hitta ”sin” väg. Psykoterapeuten kan genom leken i psykoterapin tillsammans med tonåringen bearbeta de existentiella frågorna och skapa mening med livet. Studien visar på behovet av någon form av samtalsforum för tonåringar, enskilt eller i grupp, där de kan få en existentiell grund att stå på. Detta skulle kunna påverka den psykiska hälsan positivt. / Introduction: Swedish schoolchildren’s habits concerning health show a decrease in mental health, but also that adolescents rate their mental emotional health as good or very good. The consumption of psychological healthcare among young adults in Sweden has increased. WHO defines eight different dimensions as important parts for building an existential health: connectedness to a spiritual being or force, meaning of life, awe, wholeness and integration, spiritual strength, inner peace/serenity/harmony, hope and optimism, and faith. The object of this study is to give a description the mental health of young people today. Questions: How do four psychotherapists and one psychologist experience the existential health of young people/young adults today? In what way can therapy including existential perspectives contribute to better quality of life and existential health among young people? Method: Four psychotherapists and one psychologist have been interviewed. The 3 (31) examination method of the study was based on a descriptive and qualitative research. Processing method was the theme analysis. Result: There is a shortage of existential health. Young adults today are described as existentially lonely with an absence of spiritual thoughts and with escape and emptiness as means of dealing with difficulties. Young adults are more socially lonely today than before. They are more left alone by their parents than before and there is not enough grownup support. In psychotherapy it is important to show that it is normal to feel psychologically distressed during youth and that the therapist becomes a carrier of hope and meaning. This can be fulfilled trough the therapeutic relation. Discussion: The result shows the importance of having longer sessions of therapy. It takes time to find “their” way. The psychotherapist can through play in therapy together with thw adolescent work through the existential issues and bring forth a meaning in life. The study shows the need for some kind of forum for teenagers, alone or in a group, where they can find an existential base to stand on. This would affect the mental health positively.

This diploma dissertation is about health concept and contemporary lifestyle of pupils of the 2 nd grade of primary school. I worked with students on 2nd grade Elementary school in Suchdol. Healthy lifestyle is very important as a basic human value. I reseached integration of school subject Health Education acording General Education Plan. I define term health and factors affecting health. The level is depend on education and age. The target of my work is surway about knowledges and awarenes of students on 2nd grade. I put them pretest to find their incoming informations. This result I used for my lesson plans. The basic facts were taken by questionnares. The results were compared and analysed. This reseached found out that informations and knowledges were different. The upper grade was better than lower. These proofs showes that Health Education is one of the most important parts in elementary education. KEYWORDS health, health lifestyle, health education, health literacy, physical health, mental health, social health, spiritual health

Introduktion: Enligt World Health Organisation (WHO) definieras hälsa som ett tillstånd av fysiskt, mentalt och socialt välbefinnande och inte endast frånvaro av sjukdom. Utifrån denna definition kan en människa uppleva hälsa och livskvalitet hela livet, oavsett ålder, diagnos eller prognos. Förhållningssättet till livet påverkar den självskattade psykiska, fysiska och sociala hälsan. I Sverige används begreppet existentiell medan begreppet andlig oftast används internationellt. Både existentiell och andlig relaterar till en inre dimension som interagerar med den yttre världen; den egna kroppen, andra människor och de sekulär eller religiösa system som en individ kan relatera till. Syfte: Syftet är att bedöma hur WHO:s åtta faktorer för existentiell hälsa definieras och hur de används i vetenskapliga studier. Metod:Studien bygger på en litteraturstudie i vilken tjugo vetenskapliga artiklar granskats och analyserats. Både kvalitativa och kvantitativa studier, som undersöker existentiell hälsa har inkluderats. För att besvara forskningsfrågan och uppfylla studiens syfte har en kvalitativ metod med induktiv ansats valts för att söka en slutsats utifrån tidigare forskning. De vetenskapliga artiklarna som valts ut har inhämtats via tillförlitliga databaser som PsychInfo, PubMed, SwePub,Google Scholar, och från Socialmedicinsk tidskrift. Resultat: Vid analys av artiklarnas innehåll har vi använt följande teman: andlig kontakt, mening och syfte med livet, upplevelse av förundran, helhet och integration, andlig styrka, harmoni och inre frid, hoppfullhet och optimism samt tro som resurs. Av dessa kom behovet av optimism, inre frid och hopp först. På andra plats kom behovet av mening och syfte med livet. Resultat visade att det är notoriskt svårt att definiera och mäta andlighet på grund av dess omtvistade definition, förhållandet till religiositet och olika kulturer. De olika definitionerna utmanar tillämpningen av begreppen i olika kontexter och kulturer. Slutsats: Då forskning kring existentiell hälsa är begränsad och relativt outforskat behöver framtida forskning fler kvalitativa och kvantitativa forskningsinsatser för att analysera faktorer som påverkar den existentiella hälsan utifrån ett kulturellt och kontextuellt perspektiv. Teorier och metoder kan på så sätt utvecklas för att skapa en evidensbaserad existentiell hälsointervention. / Introduction: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), health is defined as a state of physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease. Based on this definition, a person can experience health and quality of life throughout their life, regardless of age, diagnosis or prognosis. The approach to life affects the self-assessed mental, physical and social health. In Sweden, the term existential is used, while the term spiritual is most often used internationally. Both existential and spiritual relate to an inner dimension that interacts with the outer world; one's own body, other people and the secular or religious systems to which an individual can relate. Purpose: The purpose is to assess how the WHO's eight factors of existential health are defined and how they are used in scientific studies. Method: The study is based on a literature study in which twenty scientific articles were reviewed and analyzed. Both qualitative and quantitative studies investigating existential health have been included. In order to answer the research question and fulfill the purpose of the study, a qualitative method with an inductive approach has been chosen to seek a conclusion based on previous research. The scientific articles that have been selected have been obtained via reliable databases such as PsychInfo, PubMed, SwePub, Google Scholar, and from the Journal of Social Medicine. Results: When analyzing the content of the articles, the following themes were used to categorise findings: spiritual contact, meaning and purpose in life, experience of wonder, wholeness and integration, spiritual strength, harmony and inner peace, hopefulness and optimism and faith as a resource. Out of theseeight themes, the need for optimism, inner peace and hope came first. In second place came the need for meaning and purpose in life. Results showed that it is notoriously difficult to define and measure spirituality due to its contested definition, relationship to religiosity and different cultures. The different definitions challenge the application of the concepts in different contexts and cultures. Conclusion: As research on existential health is limited and relatively unexplored, future research needs more qualitative and quantitative research efforts to analyze factors that affect existential health from a cultural and contextual perspective. Theories and methods can thus be developed to create an evidence-based existential health intervention.

Inledning: Den psykiska ohälsoutvecklingen bland barn och unga är idag ett allvarligt folkhälsoproblem. Evidens påvisar att den existentiella hälsan har betydelse för psykisk hälsa och välbefinnande. Snacka om livet (SOL) är ett projekt som utformats för att främja barn och ungas existentiella hälsa. Ett fortsatt arbete med projektet är beroende av att det skapas förutsättningar för områdets implementering och att politiken och beslutsfattare prioriterar området. Syfte: Att undersöka upplevelsen av den existentiella hälsan inom Skånes kommunala och regionala sektorsövergripande folkhälsoarbete i främjandet av barn och ungas psykiska hälsa. Metod: Studien hade en kvalitativ ansats med tio deltagare med ledande befattning inom kommun och region. Informanterna selekterades utifrån ett strategiskt urval. Intervjuerna genomfördes med semistrukturerad metod och med ett genomgående etiskt beaktande. Empirin analyserades utifrån kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: I resultatet framkom att området är nytt, viktigt och aktuellt i relation till den psykiska ohälsan bland barn och unga. Begreppet upplevdes i viss mån komplext och tabubelagt men beskrevs även ha stora vinster för individ och samhälle. Den existentiella hälsan uppfattades kunna stärka och rusta barn och unga. En förutsättning för områdets implementering menades bland annat vara att begreppet inkluderas i folkhälsoarbetet. Konklusion: Studien har kunnat bidra med ytterligare evidens och kunskap till detta relativt nya och outforskade område. Den existentiella hälsan är en resurs i såväl det förebyggande som främjande folkhälsoarbetet. Studien har identifierat att health literacy kan vara ett viktigt verktyg för områdets integrering inom folkhälsan. Begreppet behöver tydliggöras, medvetandegöras och få utrymme i det folkhälsovetenskapliga perspektivet. / Introduction: The development of mental illness among children and adolescents is a serious public health problem today. Evidence shows that spiritual health is important for mental health and well-being. Snacka om livet (SOL) is a project designed to promote the existential health of children and adolescents. Continued work on the project depends on creating the conditions for the area’s implementation and on policymakers prioritizing the area. Purpose: To investigate the experience of existential health within Skåne's municipal and regional cross-sectoral public health work in the promotion of children and young people's mental health. Methods: The study had a qualitative approach with ten participants with senior positions within the municipality and region. The informants were selected based on a strategic selection. The interviews were conducted with a semi-structured method and with thorough ethical considerations. The empirics were analyzed based on qualitative content analysis. Results: The results showed that the area is new, important and of current interest in relation to mental illness among children and adolescents. The concept was to some extent perceived as complex and taboo but was also described as having great benefits for individuals and society. Spiritual health was perceived to strengthen and equip children and adolescents. A prerequisite for the area’s implementation was meant, among other things, to include the concept in public health work. Conclusion: The study has been able to contribute additional evidence and knowledge to this relatively new and unexplored area. Spiritual health is a resource in both prevention and promotion of public health work. The study has identified that health literacy can be an important tool for the area's integration into public health. The concept needs to be clarified, made aware and given space in the public health perspective.