Relationship between spiritual health with stress, anxiety and depression in patients with chronic diseases

Abstract

Introduction: Stress, anxiety and depression are common in people with chronic diseases. There is a close relationship between spiritual health and mental health. Various cultural factors such as religious and spiritual beliefs can have significant effects on the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression in patients with chronic diseases. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between spiritual health and stress, anxiety and depression in patients with chronic diseases. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 360 patients with chronic disease were selected by convenience sampling method in Pasteur Hospital of Bam. Data collection questionnaires included demographic information form, DASS-21 standard questionnaire for stress, anxiety and depression and 20-item spiritual health questionnaire by Palutzian and Ellison. Data were analyzed by SPSS using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (chi-square and Pearson correlation). Results: The level of spiritual health score was medium to high (80.62) and the mean scores of stress, anxiety and depression were (10.58), (6.70) and (7.32) respectively. The majority of patients had moderate levels of stress and depression and severe anxiety. There was a reverse relationship between overall score of spiritual health dimensions and stress, anxiety and depression. Conclusion: Spiritual health has a significant effect on coping with disease and recovery from illness. Mental health indicators are highly dependent to spiritual health. Identifying the spiritual needs of patients and apply appropriate care methods can reduce the complications of mental disorders in chronic patients.

Keywords

• Spiritual health
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Chronic diseases