TITLE:
Attributes of Family Spirituality and Influencing Factors of Its Decline: Data Triangulation of Literature and Family Interviews
AUTHORS:
Naohiro Hohashi, Mikio Watanabe
KEYWORDS:
Family Spirituality, Influencing Factor, Concentric Sphere Family Environment Theory, Literature Review, Family Interview, Data Triangulation
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.15 No.2,
February
19,
2025
ABSTRACT: Background and Purpose: In recent years, individual spirituality has been attracting attention, but little research has been conducted as it relates to family spirituality that applies this concept to the family and relates to the meaning of the family’s existence in terms of the entire family. The purpose of this study was to clarify the attributes of family spirituality and the influencing factors of its decline. Methods: Regarding family spirituality, 1) a literature search was conducted using PubMed and reviews of 20 English-language articles; and 2) semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 Japanese families having elderly members in the household. Data triangulation was performed for both, and a directed content analysis was conducted using Hohashi’s Concentric Sphere Family Environment Theory as the framework. Results: Attributes of family spirituality included 21 categories, such as “I think that my family exists for my children and grandchildren.” Factors influencing the decline in family spirituality included 20 categories in total, including 6 categories of risk/causal/promoting factors such as “lack of caring for family members”; 11 categories of preventive/inhibitory/suppression factors such as “healthcare professionals not being close to the family”; and three categories of context-sensitive factors such as “death of a family member.” Conclusions/Implications for Practice: Family intervention requires nurses to understand the attributes of family spirituality and to control the influencing factors of a decline in family spirituality. Through such efforts, families will be able to discover the meaning of the existence of the family and maintain and improve their well-being.