A Study on Spiritual Well-Being, Depression, and Health Status of Elderly Women in a Community

일부 지역사회 여성노인의 영적안녕, 우울, 주관적 건강상태에 관한 연구

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between spiritual well-being, depression, and health status of elderly women in a community for providing the basic data necessary to improve the practice of nursing. Method: The participants were 295 elderly women, over 65 years old in Gwangju and Kyongbuk province, Korea. The data were collected between April 15th and June 15, 2003 using a structured questionnaire and were analyzed using SPSS Win 8.0. Result: Factors such as religious belief (p<.001), type of religion (p<.001), participation of worship (p<.001), significance of religion (p<.001), education(p=.001), spouse(p=.015), financial supporter(p=.001), and living satisfaction(p<.001) showed a statistically significant relation with spiritual well-being. There was a negative correlation between spiritual well-being and depression(r=-0.32, p<.001),and between health status and depression(r=-0.50, p<.001). However, there was a positive correlation between spiritual well-being and health status(r=0.32, p<.001). Conclusion: In order to promote spiritual well-being in elderly women, it is necessary to develop a nursing intervention program classified by the type of religions, followed by studies on the results of proven intervention programs.