Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Spiritual health is one of the four dimensions of health in humans, and the others
are physical, psychological, and social dimensions. This dimension is essential to increase the
adaptation to the disease. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine spiritual health in women
with multiple sclerosis (MS) and its association with self‑esteem.
METHODS: This is a descriptive cross‑sectional study, and 210 women with MS referring to Ayatollah
Kashani Hospital affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences were selected using convenience
sampling method. The data were collected by questionnaires of demographic characteristic
questionnaire (6 items), Rosenberg Self‑esteem Scale (10 items), and Ellison and Paloutzian Spiritual
Well‑being Questionnaire (20 items). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s
correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis at a significance level of 0.05.
RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation of spiritual health (including religious health and
existential health) and self‑esteem in MS patients were 48.8 ± 6.80, 44.7 ± 6.70, and 3.21 ± 2.5,
respectively. The results showed that 95.2% of the research units had moderate‑to‑high
spiritual (religious and existential) health and 57.7% had high self‑esteem. Pearson’s correlation
coefficient also showed a significant positive correlation between religious health and existential
with self‑esteem (r = 0.22, P = 0.03 and r = 0.24, P = 0.01, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: In this study, most of the women with MS had high levels of spiritual health and
self‑esteem. This can be used as a coping strategy and has a protective effect against stress‑induced
illness and even against complications of the treatment. In addition, in some cases, it is effective in
alleviating frustration in these patients.
Keywords
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