Spiritual coping in institutionalized adolescent girls

Spirituality as a coping strategy plays an important role in human health. According to holistic approach, providing spiritual care for clients in different settings has been considered as a nurse’s responsibility. Despite the number of institutionalized adolescents living in residential settings, there are few studies have assessed spirituality in this group. In this regard, researchers conducted a qualitative research to explore spirituality and spiritual coping strategies in institutionalized adolescent girls. In this qualitative study, 15 adolescent girls were interviewed about the role of spirituality and spiritual strategies in coping with stresses of living in institutes. Interviews were analyzed using content analysis method. The main themes emerged from this study were: meaning in life, reliance on God, and seeking spiritual support. The findings of the study provide in-depth understanding of female institutionalized adolescents’ experiences of spirituality and spiritual strategies in coping with stress which can be useful for nurses and other health care professionals, especially those caring for orphan adolescents. The findings can provide a framework for nursing care plans based on teaching spiritual coping strategies to decrease stresses of living in residential settings.