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LETTER |
Catherine F. Musgrave is with the Henrietta Szold Hadassah Hebrew University School of Nursing, Jerusalem, Israel. Carol Easley Allen is with the Department of Nursing, Oakwood College, Huntsville, Ala. Gregory J. Allen is with the Department of Religion and Theology, Oakwood College, Huntsville, Ala.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Carol Easley Allen, PhD, RN, MS, Department of Nursing, Oakwood College, 7000 Adventist Blvd, Huntsville, AL 35896 (e-mail: callen{at}oakwood.edu).
The definition of spirituality that we most hold typically characteristic of the African American and Hispanic women described in the literature and encountered in our practice is the traditional one, that is, "a basic or inherent quality in all humans that involves a belief in something greater than the self and a faith that positively affirms life." There was no attempt on our part to assert the first definition presented: "an inner quality that facilitates connectedness with the self, other people, and nature."
A discussion of spirituality and health for women of color in no way implies a denial of the spirituality of men or other women. In fact, we limited our discussion to only those 2 groups that constitute the largest number of women of color in the United States. This disclaimer was made explicitly at the beginning of our article. There is certainly a need for a thorough treatment of spirituality and health for various groups, based not only on gender and ethnicity but also on age, generational cohort, class, educational status, urban or rural residence, and secular or religious orientation, to name a few of the variables.
A preponderance of the literature and our experience indicate that the women under consideration tend to equate religious practice and spirituality. As we noted, research that describes the growing number of women of color who practice a secular spirituality is inadequate to date. This is also true in the case of African American women who embrace Islam. Given our focus and the limitations of space, we acknowledged the impossibility of treating the many differences that are of importance. But having issued this caveat, we were unapologetic in our description of the relationship between spirituality and religious notions and practices among the groups of interest.
In terms of the approach to individuals in the clinical setting, regardless of gender or ethnicity, assessment of the patient’s spirituality is essential, and there are many good models available. The wise practitioner is guided by the results of such an assessment to incorporate any positive personal, family, and community spiritual resources into an individualized plan of care. This is what we teach our students: spiritual care based on respect for the dignity and autonomy of the person and his or her belief system.
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