title: How do children express their spiritual needs?
abstract: Abstract experiences of life including religious and spiritual beliefs to make sense of life events and to cope with crises. They will have a range of preconceived ideas, fears, concerns and fantasies which are usually linked to their stage of cognitive development and prior experiences. This article provides examples of expressions of spiritual beliefs across childhood, related to a discussion of the meaning of spirituality in the context of holistic care. Spiritual needs should be incorporated into daily practice of nursing, beginning with assessment, so that normal home routines are maintained and the family's beliefs respected. However this requires nurses to understand ways that children may express their spirituality.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health, and Social Care, University of Hull.
authors.forename: Wilfred
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: McSherry
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018939:Holistic Nursing; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010371:Pediatric Nursing; D029181:Spirituality