Arts Involvement and Spirituality as Sources of Well-Being in Older People

Abstract

Spirituality and involvement with the arts have been individually studied as contributors to late-life well-being. This study explored relationships among arts involvement, as measured by a six-item scale constructed for this research, experiences of the transcendent in everyday life, as measured by the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale (DSES), and morale, as measured by the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (PGCMS). Participants were adults over age 40 (N = 90). Only arts scores significantly predicted PGCMS scores (B = 0.17, t = 2.26, p < 0.05). In addition, DSES scores and arts scores were significantly correlated (r = 0.50, p < 0.01). These results are discussed in terms of growing interest in congregational programs that promote dialogue between the arts and religion.

KEYWORDS:

• Arts involvement
• religiosity
• spirituality
• morale
• well-being

The authors thank Sarah Papenfuss and Caray Grundman for their assistance with data collection.