Is spiritual well-being important to your life satisfaction with Chronic Illness?

A recent study found that spiritual well-being emerged as the strongest statistical contributor to life satisfaction.

The research findings were consistent with other studies, which found that Spiritual well-being appears as a protective factor for quality of life in people with cancer.

-Dr. Chen, Y.

Research involving people with Systemic Sclerosis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, and skin disorders suggested that spiritual well-being has a positive impact on subjective well-being and should be investigated in future studies.

-Pilch M., Scharf S., and Lukanz M.

What is Spirituality?

For these studies, the definition of spirituality is as follows:

Spirituality: A personal search for meaning and purpose in life which is sometimes coupled with an individual’s spiritual beliefs.

For my purposes, I looked up the definitions of well-being and wellness because the two terms seemed similar.

Wellness: the quality or state of being in good health, especially as an actively sought goal

Well-being: the state of being happy, healthy, or prosperous

Research study methods and conclusions

The research study focused on people diagnosed with Systemic sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that often significantly impacts an individual’s quality of life.

Of the 206 participants, 84% were female, 16% were male, and the mean age was 51.

The study examined the following:

1. The association between functional limitations, social support, and spiritual well-being with life satisfaction.
2. The moderating roles of social support and spiritual well-being on the relationship between functional limitations and life satisfaction.

Life satisfaction

Life satisfaction is a subjective and personal expression of well-being and a key component of quality of life. This study examined the following factors and measures associated with life satisfaction.

• Satisfaction with Life Scale which uses five items to assess overall life satisfaction. (1) In most ways, my life is close to my ideal; (2) The conditions of my life are excellent; (3) I am satisfied with my life; (4) So far I have gotten the important things I want in life; and (5) If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing.
• Center of Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale assessed depressive symptoms over the past seven days.
• Demographics
• Disease severity and characteristics
• Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index measured functional limitations in eight areas: dressing and grooming; arising; eating; walking; hygiene; reach; grip; and outside activity.
• Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey measures social support in chronic health conditions.
• Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale measures meaning in life, peacefulness, and a sense of strength and comfort from one’s faith.

kEY FINDINGS

Of the 206 participants, 62% were satisfied with their life, and 38% were dissatisfied.

Consistent with previous studies, this study found that functional limitations, social support, and spiritual well-being were significantly associated with subjective well-being, measured here by life satisfaction.

Notably, Spiritual well-being emerged as the strongest statistical contributor to life satisfaction.

Before moving on to the focus of this article, spiritual well-being, I wanted to briefly make a note of the study findings on the topics of social support and functional limitations.

Social support

Previous research found that social support could help individuals with systemic sclerosis cope better with the challenges associated with the disease, and more significant social support was associated with lower depressive symptoms. Also, social support can reduce the effects of perceived poor physical health on those with pain.

“It is possible that people with greater social support have fewer unmet needs, therefore, they perceive positive health outcomes.”

-Dr. Chen, Y.

Functional limitations

Unfortunately, functional limitations were negatively associated with worse life satisfaction. Participants with more functional limitations, less social support, and low spirituality report worse life satisfaction. Perhaps physicians and patients can work together to develop adaptive ways to manage limitations to experience a better quality of life. Also, awareness and acceptance are key to what is “normal” regarding our mind, body, and spirit.

Ways to improve spiritual well-being

As we see from the study results, spiritual well-being was the strongest statistical contributor to life satisfaction. So, according to this and other research studies, spiritual well-being is important to your life satisfaction.

I know I am taking liberty with the results, and the need for more research and awareness is significant. However, I can see, and I hope you can see, the correlation between spiritual well-being and life satisfaction

Again, remember the definitions:

According to many other studies in persons diagnosed with cancer, spiritual wellness can:

• Help cope with the trauma of diagnosis and treatment
• Reduce anxiety, stress, anger, and depression
• Enhance the quality of life
• Increase feelings of inner peace and hope

Spiritual well-being and the human spirit

We cannot ignore the connection between our mental and physical health. We are one being with many parts. If one part isn’t working well, it will affect the other parts of our mind, body, and spirit. Connecting your outer world with your “hidden person of the heart” will give you a firm foundation as you search for and find meaning and purpose in your life. However, often our inner selves are ignored.

We spend so much of our lives working on our outward appearance but not on our inside selves. So often, we believe if the outside is in perfect shape, the inside will follow. If we lose weight, we’ll be happy, or if we get that job, promotion, or corner office, our lives will be complete.

Unfortunately, this is not true, as all happening outside is not compared to the inside mind, heart, emotions, feelings, and senses. Your spirit will be with you always, but your body and outward appearance will change or fail you. The quote below from my spiritual wellness toolbox:

Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

1 Peter 3:3-4

Clothe yourselves with a beauty that comes from within

Spiritual well-being comes in many forms. Just as we are all unique, your spiritual direction is unique. Here are some ideas to further explore and grow in spiritual well-being. Spiritual well-being is a journey. Give yourself time and room to explore, develop and repeat until you find your direction.

• Spend time becoming self-aware about your personality traits, experiences, and natural skills and abilities.
• Seek out the resources available to you, people in your life, and organizations that bring you peace.
• Look for people who are ahead of you spiritually and learn from them. These people could be friends or family but can also be teachers, authors, physicians, leaders, Rabbis, and pastors.
• Volunteer to help other people, animals, or the environment. Take action in an area that breaks your heart and offer yourself to provide and care in those situations.
• Practice gratitude daily. You can journal daily gratitude and write down why you are grateful. Take walks outside and be thankful for the sunshine, green trees, white snow, and changing seasons.
• Search out the meaning and purpose of your life by journaling, connecting with others, and seeking out a faith community.

Spiritual well-being will give you peace, meaning, and purpose and, as a result, more life satisfaction. As you journey through this life, you will have an internal steadiness and acceptance no matter what life brings.