Benevolent Images of God, Gratitude, and Physical Health Status

Krause, Neal; Emmons, Robert A.; Ironson, Gail

doi:10.1007/s10943-015-0063-0

Cited by 61 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 46 publications

(39 reference statements)

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“…This combination of ART and God’s hands in the healing trajectory of women with HIV/AIDS has been reported in previous studies [ 166 ]. This finding provides support to previous research holding that strong faith and belief in God enable HIV positive SSA migrant women to worry less about dying [ 167 ]. We found that participants saw spirituality/religion as connection to God, and not to the religious communities to which they belong, for fear of stigmatization and discrimination.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Spirituality/Religiosity: A Cultural and Psychological Resource among Sub-Saharan African Migrant Women with HIV/AIDS in Belgium

et al. 2016

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Spirituality/religion serves important roles in coping, survival and maintaining overall wellbeing within African cultures and communities, especially when diagnosed with a chronic disease like HIV/AIDS that can have a profound effect on physical and mental health. However, spirituality/religion can be problematic to some patients and cause caregiving difficulties. The objective of this paper was to examine the role of spirituality/religion as a source of strength, resilience and wellbeing among sub-Saharan African (SSA) migrant women with HIV/AIDS. A qualitative study of SSA migrant women was conducted between April 2013 and December 2014. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling and snowball techniques from AIDS Reference Centres and AIDS workshops in Belgium, if they were 18 years and older, French or English speaking, and diagnosed HIV positive more than 3 months beforehand. We conducted semi-structured interviews with patients and did observations during consultations and support groups attendances. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. 44 women were interviewed, of whom 42 were Christians and 2 Muslims. None reported religious/spiritual alienation, though at some point in time many had felt the need to question their relationship with God by asking “why me?” A majority reported being more spiritual/religious since being diagnosed HIV positive. Participants believed that prayer, meditation, regular church services and religious activities were the main spiritual/religious resources for achieving connectedness with God. They strongly believed in the power of God in their HIV/AIDS treatment and wellbeing. Spiritual/religious resources including prayer, meditation, church services, religious activities and believing in the power of God helped them cope with HIV/AIDS. These findings highlight the importance of spirituality in physical and mental health and wellbeing among SSA women with HIV/AIDS that should be taken into consideration in providing a caring and healthy environment.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Spirituality/Religiosity: A Cultural and Psychological Resource among Sub-Saharan African Migrant Women with HIV/AIDS in Belgium

et al. 2016

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“…In particular, 70% of the studies were conducted with participants suffering from one form of mental or physical health-related challenge which included: 499 terminally ill elderly persons [ 62 ], 362 Muslim patients undergoing haemodialysis [ 63 ], 111 individuals with dementia [ 29 ], 44 couples (dyads) following a first-time cardiac event [ 30 ], 294 patients following an open-heart surgery [ 64 ], 63 outpatients with schizophrenia [ 65 ], 1024 older American adults [ 22 ], 8344 Norwegian cancer patients [ 66 ], 481 terminally ill cancer patients [ 67 ], 198 HIV/AIDS infected patients [ 27 ], 678 military veterans with PTSD [ 68 ], 8405 cancer survivors [ 69 ], 75 ALS patients and their caregivers (dyads) [ 70 ], and 162 Iranian women with breast cancer [ 71 ]. The remaining 30% were conducted with other study populations, including 87 college students [ 72 ], 1287 older Jews in Europe [ 73 ], 208 Jewish men and women [ 74 ], 274 older Koreans living alone in Chuncheon [ 28 ], 107, 683 older adults in a national health survey [ 75 ], and 1774 American adults [ 76 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As shown in Table 1 , of the 20 articles used for the predictive analyses outcomes, 12 (60%) of the studies with 12,917 participants reported positive associations between RS and QoL (e.g., [ 27 , 28 , 62 – 65 , 68 – 70 , 72 , 74 , 76 ]). Participants in these studies reported on the main effects of RS on their QoL, showing correlations between measures of RS and QoL.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The mediation analyses show that faith had a significant positive effect on mental functioning (when mediated with greater meaning) and physical functioning (when mediated by both meaning and peace). ***Krause et al [ 76 ]. Data were collected from a nationwide survey with adults ( n = 1774) from 18 years above.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… Instrument: SF-36 Physical and Mental Health Summary Scales Feelings of comfort and strength Instrument: Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy–Spiritual Well-being Scale Faith makes an important contribution to the QoL of cancer survivors. Krause et al [ 76 ]. Physical health Instrument: Physical health was measured using the Physical Component Summary score of the Short Form Health Survey (SF-12).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relational spirituality and quality of life 2007 to 2017: an integrative research review

Counted

Possamaï

Meade

2018

Health Qual Life Outcomes

124

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BackgroundDespite the increasing number of evidence-based research on relational spirituality (RS) and quality of life (QoL) in medical-health research, little is known about the links between RS and QoL outcomes and the mechanisms by which RS aspects are functionally tied to QoL.ObjectiveTo determine how RS is perceived/positioned in relation to QoL, we (a) examined recent available data that identify and appraise the links between RS and QoL; (b) identified themes emerging from the association between RS and QoL, and (c) discussed the implications of the effects of RS on QoL outcomes.MethodsWe conducted an integrative research review of English-language peer-reviewed articles published between 2007 to March 2017 which examined an association between RS and QoL, as identified from a search of three databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, and ScienceDirect.ResultsA total of 20 studies were analysed. Of these, twelve (60%) reported positive association between RS and QoL, three (15%) studies reported inverse associations, whereas five (25%) studies showed evidence of lack of association (with two out of the five studies showing an indirect association). Physical health and psychological functioning were the most researched domains of QoL, and some studies suggest an attachment-based model of RS in the last 10 years of RS and QoL research. Studies conducted with participants with serious illnesses ranging from dementia, cardiac arrest, and breast cancer reported no association between RS and physical health. Our review shows evidence of both the direct and/or indirect effects of RS on QoL as a possible spiritual coping model for complementary alternative health therapy, albeit occurring through several religious-related psychosocial conduits.Conclusion and implicationRS appears to be associated with health benefits as indicated across QoL domains. General medical practitioners and other healthcare agencies could benefit from the understanding that a spiritual coping model could aid their patients, and therefore their clinical practices, in the healing process.

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