The Relationship Between Illness and Spiritual Well Being
Abstract
The effects of one's spirituality can provide peace, hope and encouragement in the face of chronic and life threatening illness and thereby should be included when planning and providing a holistic approach to nursing care. The purpose of this study was to determine if individuals with a higher number of co-morbidity illnesses had a more significant spiritual base. A convenience sample of clients from western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina was utilized. All clients completed questionnaires regarding their past and current medical problems and their perception of their personal spirituality.
Data was collected over a two week period utilizing a researcher developed demographic questionnaire and King's (2008) Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory (SISRI).
The results of the study indicated that there is a significant relationship between a person's self-reported spirituality and their number of medical problems. Results of data analysis showed patients with more comorbidity illnesses reported lower levels of spirituality.