Relationship Between Spiritual Well-being, Depression, and Hope in Middle-aged Women Attending Community Health Centers in Qom, Iran

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Spiritual well-being is very important in adaptation and peace of mind, especially in certain periods of life. Middle age is associated with many biological, psychological, and social changes and problems such depression and hopelessness. This study aims to investigate the relationship between spiritual well-being, depression, and hope in middle-aged women in Qom, Iran. Methods: This is a descriptive-analytical study with cross-sectional design that was conducted on 100 middle-aged women referred to community health centers in Qom city, who were selected by a convenience sampling method. Data were collected by three questionnaires including Paloutzian and Ellison’s spiritual well-being scale (SWBS), Beck’ depression inventory (BDI), adult hope scale (AHS), which were completed through interview. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 21 software using regression analysis. Results: The Mean±SD total scores of SWBS, BDI, and AHS were 73.43±1.25, 31.10±0.91, and 16.26±0.34, respectively. There was a significant relationship between spiritual well-being and depression and between spiritual health and hope (P≤0.001). Moreover, spiritual well-being and hope had a significant relationship with depression (P≤0.001). Conclusion: Middle-aged women with high spiritual well-being have less depression and more hope. It is recommended to pay more attention to spiritual well-being of these women to maintain their mental health and increase their hope.

Keywords

• spirituality
• depression
• hope