Culture and Spirituality

According to Martsolf (1997), there are 3 ways that spirituality and culture can be related:

• Spirituality can be defined completely by the individual's culture
• Spirituality can be individually defined by personal experiences unrelated to the culture
• Spirituality can be defined by culture and personal experiences but are quite different from the cultural norms.

Spiritual assessment must, therefore, include assessment of the client's culture, utilization of complementary and spiritual practices common to that culture, preferences for spiritual interventions, and preferred spiritual care providers. 

Resources

Kirkwood, N. A. (1993). A hospital handbook on multiculturalism and religion: Practical guidelines for health care workers. Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing.

Martsolf, D. (1997). Cultural aspects of spirituality in cancer care. Seminars in Oncology Nursing, 13,      231-236.

Taylor, E. J., (2002). Spiritual care: Nursing theory, research, and practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

                                                                                                                   Halstead, M. (2005)