Measurement of spiritual well-being: a hospice caregiver sample

This is a methodological study designed to assess the reliability and validity of Paloutzian and Ellison's (1982) Spiritual Well-being Scale. The scale was administered to 70 family members caring for a terminally ill relative. The 20 item measure yields three scores: spiritual well-being (overall score), existential well-being and religious well-being (overall score), existential well-being and religious well-being. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients were .95, .94, and .84 respectively. Construct validity of the measure is discussed in relation to Bradburn's Affect Balance Scale, qualitative data obtained during the interviews and a review of relevant literature related to spiritual well-being. Evidence in support of construct validity of the Spiritual Well-being Scale is lacking.