Status and influencing factors of spiritual climate among oncology nurses: a cross-sectional study

Oncology nurses frequently experience significant physical and psychological stress. These negative emotions may adversely affect the collective spiritual climate within the department, leading to professional burnout, which in turn impacts the stability of the nursing team and the quality of care delivered. This study aims to assess the spiritual climate among oncology nurses and identify its potential associated factors.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 321 oncology nurses from 43 hospitals across 13 cities in Jiangsu Province, China, using convenience sampling between April and May 2025. Data were collected through the General Information Questionnaire, Spiritual Climate Scale (SCS), Perceived Organizational Support Scale (POS), Occupational Coping Self-Efficacy Scale, and Inclusive Leadership Scale (ILS). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 27.0.

In total, 321 participants completed the survey. After data cleaning, 273 were valid and included in the final analysis. The Spiritual Climate Scale score among oncology nurses was 81.11 ± 15.04. There were significant differences in Spiritual Climate Scale score according to age (F = 2.780, p = 0.042), administrative position (F = 3.828, p = 0.023) and the number of night shifts per month (F = 3.210, p = 0.024). Multiple linear regression analysis identified head nurses, perceived organizational support, occupational coping self-efficacy, and inclusive leadership as factors significantly associated with spiritual climate (p < 0.05).

The findings suggest oncology nurses generally perceive a positive spiritual climate, though improvements are still needed. Nursing managers should enhance spiritual climate by adopting targeted interventions based on the factors influencing them.