Spiritual Needs of Adolescents Who Seek Primary Health Care
Virginia Walker

This study provides a foundation for viewing the interrelationship of the biological, psychosocial, and spiritual elements of health. The study represents a beginning attempt to identify and describe the spiritual needs of adolescents who seek primary health care. It examines indicators of spiritual needs as revealed by an assessment tool which was developed by the investigator for this study and piloted on a sample population of adolescents. Twenty adolescents with various health needs completed a self-administered questionnaire while waiting in a clinic examining room to see a family practitioner. They were asked questions relating to personal perceptions of love and relatedness to God, personal identity and meaning in life, strength and hope, inner guidance and direction, inner peace and security, and forgiveness. Demographic factors affecting spiritual needs were also addressed. Biographical data were gathered pertaining to religion, education, age, sex, race, and living situation. Descriptive data were interpreted using information from the questionnaires. The adolescents were found to be divided into two groups according to questionnaire responses. Most of the adolescents exhibited healthy, adaptive spiritual development and were seemingly cognizant of the spiritual element of their nature. A small number of adolescents were ignorant of the spiritual element of themselves and exhibited many spiritual needs. There was little demographic variation between the groups, but the latter group was examined in detail, and indicator items were identified as being associated with an increased number of spiritual needs. The study has clinical implications for nurse clinician practice, for the instrument may be used in primary health care settings to assess spiritual characteristics and spiritual needs in the adolescent population. Assessment of spiritual characteristics and spiritual needs will help nurses plan more holisticcare for their clients. With revision and repeated tests on larger groups of randomly selected subjects, the instrument will have stronger implications for future research in spiritual care.