Date of Award

10-13-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MSc in Nursing

First Advisor

Dr. Salma Rattani

Second Advisor

Dr. Gulnar Ali

Third Advisor

Ms. Zahra Tharani

Department

School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Nurses are at a higher risk of experiencing stress than the general population due to high workload, prolonged duty hours, managerial pressure, and dealing with critical patients. Moreover, increased stress at the workplace affects the physical and psychological health of nurses, resulting in compromised nursing care. Nurses use various coping strategies for managing their stress, including spirituality. In the Pakistani context, spirituality is considered a strong coping strategy in stressful situations. Despite its significance, there is a scarcity of data on the nurses' understanding of spirituality in Pakistan. Moreover, the role of spirituality in managing nurses' stress is underexplored.
Purpose: This study explored nurses' perspectives on spirituality and its influence on stress management among nurses at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.
Methodology: An exploratory descriptive qualitative study design was employed using a purposive sampling technique. 15 participants working at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, were interviewed using semi-structured interviews to get an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon. The data were transcribed and then analysed manually using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis approach (Braun & Clarke, 2023).
Results: Five themes emerged from the analysis of data: the understanding of spirituality and its importance in nursing; stress among nurses and the coping strategies; the role of spirituality in managing stress; the use of spirituality for stress relief; and fostering a spiritual environment. The study’s findings revealed that spirituality is a subjective experience involving a sense of connectedness with a higher power and finding a purpose and meaning in life. Moreover, spirituality was considered an integral component of life and a source of inner peace. Meanwhile, findings showed that spirituality and religiosity are distinct yet interrelated concepts, with spirituality being guided by religious beliefs. Additionally, spirituality was found as a strong coping strategy in stress management and assisted in developing resilience among nurses. Reciting the Holy Quran, remembering God, and praying were the most practised spiritual practices. Moreover, meditation, journaling, and visiting shrines were also reported as spiritual practices. Meanwhile, it was suggested that the institution should facilitate nurses in performing spiritual practices.
Conclusion: The study concludes that spirituality plays an important role in stress management. Therefore, the study suggests that nurses should be encouraged and facilitated to use spirituality for their stress management. Additionally, spiritual education should be incorporated into the nursing curriculum, and ongoing workshops should be organised to teach nurses about spirituality, enabling them to use it to foster a healthier work environment.

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