Satisfaction With Life, Coping, and Spirituality Among Urban Families

Area of Science:

• Urban health
• Family studies
• Psychology

Background:

• Urban families encounter significant challenges impacting life satisfaction, such as financial constraints, resource scarcity, and neighborhood instability.
• These factors create a complex environment that can negatively affect overall well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine life satisfaction among urban families.
• To identify potential mediating factors including neighborhood stability, emotional coping mechanisms, and religious/spiritual practices.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to a convenience sample of families attending an urban primary care clinic.
• The survey collected demographic data and utilized validated scales: Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Spiritual Inventory and Beliefs Scale, and an emotional coping inventory.

Main Results:

• 127 individuals completed the survey, reporting generally high life satisfaction (mean score 21.3 ± 9).
• Lower life satisfaction scores (SWLS) were associated with a higher likelihood of having a child with a chronic medical illness (4.5 times more likely in the lowest quartile).
• Life satisfaction positively correlated with strategy planning (r = 0.24), external religious practices (r = 0.23), and humility (r = 0.18).

Conclusions:

• Promoting engagement in religious practices and specific coping strategies may enhance life satisfaction for urban families.
• Interventions should consider supporting families with children requiring special healthcare, as they may particularly benefit from these approaches.