Spirituality and sense of well-being in persons with AIDS

Abstract

The nurse is in a position to look holistically at PWAs to diagnose spiritual distress with the same sensitivity and skill as that used to diagnose physical and psychosocial problems. Caring for these persons requires holistic planning and intervening as well, with an awareness of the effect of spirituality on well-being.

Testing domains of the healing experiences in all life stressors questionnaire in a cohort of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected Chicago women

“…Research also finds that some people diagnosed with HIV equate religion with spirituality, while others say they are distinct factors 39. To elucidate these differences between religion and spirituality, we analyzed the two domains separately to see whether there were differences in scores between women of different races.…”

“…This study also helps to fill an important gap in our knowledge about the meaning of religion in women with HIV living in Chicago and its metropolitan area. Extant literature examining spirituality and religiousness among HIV-infected women tends to focus on the Southeastern region of the USA,1,10,12,13,39 with other regions being less closely examined 29,41. With the validation of this tool, clinicians and researchers will have a unique way to assess for psychosocial spiritual factors in healing people with life-threatening and chronic illness.…”

The Dynamics of Quality of Life in ALS Patients and Caregivers

“…Using multilevel modeling, we report on QOL changes across the scope of the disease rather than the scope of the study. We measured QOL using the McGill Quality of Life (MQOL) Questionnaire, which assesses multiple domains of well-being independently (e.g., physical, psychological), including positive contributions to QOL and a person's meaning in life and personal growth (i.e., existential well-being), which potentially increases in seriously ill patients [26]. Although definitions and measures of QOL are numerous, according to the World Health Organization, QOL is a general and subjective term referring to "the physical, mental, and social well-being" of individuals, "and not merely the absence of disease or infirmary" [27].…”

Quality of life in ALS depends on factors other than strength and physical function

“…This is consistent with literature describing the importance of factors other than physical function in determining patients' perceptions of QOL, health, and well-being in those with cancer, AIDS, and other life-threatening illnesses. [17][18][19][20][21][22] It is also a pointed reminder that a patient's perception of QOL often differs from that of care providers and health professionals. [23][24][25] The interaction of physical and nonphysical factors is complex, however.…”