Spirituality, resourcefulness, and arthritis impact on health perception of elders with rheumatoid arthritis

Arthritis is the leading chronic condition for older adults and the leading cause of disability in the United States. Providing holistic care to promote positive health perception and support healthy lifestyle decisions with these individuals is critical in attaining and maintaining quality of life. This study examined variables reflecting reactions to stress, lines of defense and resistance, and the basic core of humans in the context of the Neuman Systems Model in a convenience sample of 47 adults with a mean age of 70.4 years. The combined effects of the social, emotional, and physical impact of arthritis and additive or mediating effects of learned resourcefulness and spirituality on general health perception in older adults were investigated. Social, emotional, and physical impact together predicted health perception. The social impact of arthritis was a significant independent predictor for spirituality. Furthermore, spirituality and health perception were significantly correlated.