Table 5.

Spirituality definitions

Psychological construct	References
“A state of being”	Casarez, Engebretson & Ostwald, 2010, p. 227 (63)
Inner peacefulness	Harris & Berger, 2010 (64)
Meaning and purpose in life or connectedness with self	Lin & Bauer-Wu, 2003 (65); Delgado, 2007 (66)
Sociocultural construct
A connectedness with others or a higher being	Lin & Bauer-Wu, 2003 (65); Delgado, 2007 (66)
Comfort in faith	Mount & Kearney, 2003 (19)
A feeling of comfort relieved by from a connection to a higher power that is sacred and transcendent	Edmondson et al., 2008 (67)
Integrated holistic dimension that included interconnectedness with self, other and sacred which shapes their way of life	Harvey & Cook, 2010 (68)
Religion
Public and private behaviors, attitudes and beliefs	Taylor, Chatters & Joe, 2011 (35)
Public and private behaviors, attitudes and beliefs organized around a structured system of tenets, practices and rituals	Ellison & Levin,1998 (69), Idler et al., 2003 (70)
Intrinsic religion- one’s inward practices such as prayer and belief in God; extrinsic religion- one’s outward practices such as religious affiliation/church attendance	Dickson et al., 2013 (71)