Spiritual Pain in Meals on Wheels' Clients
Lisa Boss1, Sandy Branson2, Stanley Cron3
1School of Nursing, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA. lisa.boss@uth.tmc.edu.
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 16, 2016
Summary
Spiritual pain is linked to stress, depression, and negative religious coping in Meals on Wheels clients. Further research is needed to understand its impact on elderly health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Psychosocial Health
- Spiritual Care
Background:
- Elderly clients of Meals on Wheels face spiritual pain risks from aging, isolation, and poor health.
- These clients are also vulnerable to stress, depression, and loneliness, impacting biological health.
- Spiritual pain may exacerbate adverse health outcomes in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between spiritual pain and psychosocial factors.
- To examine associations between spiritual pain and stress, depression, loneliness, and religious coping.
- To explore links between spiritual pain and salivary biomarkers (cortisol, IL-1β) in Meals on Wheels clients.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 88 elderly participants (mean age 75.4).
- Standardized instruments measured spiritual pain, stress, depression, loneliness, and religious coping.
- Salivary biomarkers (cortisol, IL-1β) were quantified using enzyme immunoassays.
Main Results:
- Spiritual pain showed significant positive correlations with stress (r=0.35, p≤0.001).
- Spiritual pain was also positively correlated with depression (r=0.27, p=0.01) and negative religious coping (r=0.27, p=0.01).
- No significant correlations were found between spiritual pain and loneliness, positive religious coping, or salivary biomarkers.
Conclusions:
- Spiritual pain is a significant concern within the Meals on Wheels client population.
- Further research is recommended to explore the interplay of spiritual pain with psychosocial and biological factors.
- Understanding spiritual pain is crucial for addressing physical, mental, and cognitive health in the elderly.
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