Spiritual well-being of the individual with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A study was conducted to: (1) establish the feasibility and reliability of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) and its religious (RWB) and existential well-being (EWB) subscales in a sample of individuals with ALS; (2) describe the spiritual and religious practices, and spiritual well-being in these individuals; and (3) examine the relationship between spiritual well-being and quality of life. METHOD: A random sample of 60 individuals completed the SWBS at the beginning and end of an ALS clinic visit. Subjects were classified into early, middle or late stage of ALS, using vital capacity and total ALS Functional Rating Scale scores. A subsample completed the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP). RESULTS: The SWBS and its RWB and EWB subscales were found to have high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. There were no statistically significant differences in SWB, RWB or EWB scores among the three stages of ALS. RWB scores were significantly higher than EWB scores overall and within the middle and late stages. Strong negative correlations were found between physical and psychosocial dimension SIP subscores and RWB scores, suggesting that religious well-being may impact quality of life, or vice versa. (ALS 2000; 1: 337-341)

• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Spirituality Spiritual Well-BEING Religious Well-BEING Existential Well-BEING Quality Of Life