Association between spiritual care competency and spiritual health among nursing interns: a cross-sectional study

Aims This study aimed to investigate the current state of nursing interns' spiritual care competency (SCC) and its relationship with their spiritual health. Background Spiritual care is a vitally important component of holistic nursing. Understanding the spiritual care competency of nursing interns can help nursing managers and educators identify weaknesses in spiritual care practices, develop intervention measures to enhance SCC, and improve the quality of nursing services. However, the relationship between spiritual health and SCC among nursing interns remains unclear. Methods A total of 361 nursing interns were recruited from three general hospitals. An online questionnaire assessed nursing interns' sociodemographic characteristics, spiritual care competency, and spiritual health. Statistical analyses included Pearson's correlation analysis, T-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multiple stepwise linear regression analysis. Results The average spiritual care competency score among nursing interns was 107.24 +/- 21.67 out of a possible 135, indicating a medium-high level of competency. Spiritual care competency was positively correlated with spiritual health (P < 0.01). The multiple stepwise linear regression model (n = 361) had an explained variance (R2 = 0.300), showing that spiritual health and the manner of receiving spiritual training were the main factors influencing the interns' spiritual care competency (P < 0.001). Conclusion The findings suggest that improving the spiritual health of nursing interns can enhance their spiritual care competency.