Purpose : In this study factors influencing spiritual well-being in elderly people in the community were analyzed in order to provide data for nursing interventions to enhance the spiritual well-being of these elders.
Method : The data were collected between April 15th and June 15, 2003 using a structured questionnaire.
The participants were 382 elders, 65 years or older living in Gwangju and North Kyungsang province, Korea. Data were analyzed using SPSS.
Results: 1. The range of spiritual well-being scores were from 20 to 80, with a mean value of 52.43. The results showed that the level of spiritual well-being was more positive for women (p=0.000), for elders having religious beliefs (p=0.000), being practicing Protestants or Catholics (p=0.000), participating in religious services (p=0.000), having religious piousness (p=0.000), financial stability (p=0.000), satisfaction with living (p=0.000), prepared for death (p=0.003), better ability in performance of daily life activities (p=0.000), less physical pain or discomfort (p=0.000), better perceived physical condition (p=0.000-p=0.003), more opportunities for conversation (p= 0.000), higher recreational activity (p= 0.000), and higher satisfaction with social interaction (p=0.000).
2. Factors significantly influencing spiritual well-being included higher recognition of religious influence on daily life, higher satisfaction with living, higher religious service participation, and with better overall health condition (R²=55.8%).
Conclusion: From our investigation, it is proposed that in order to promote the spiritual well-being of the elderly in the community, it is necessary to develop concrete nursing intervention program followed by the studies on outcoming effects of the intervention program.
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