The Spiritual Needs of the Elderly Christian Widower
Bonita Wilfong-Miller

This study was conducted in Southwest Cincinnati, Ohio to identify the spiritual needs of the elderly Christian widowers (n = 30) who lost their wives during the past year. A descriptive comparative design was used to identify whether there was a difference in the spiritual needs of elderly Christian widowers and elderly Christian married men (n = 30). Letters requesting participation were sent to churches, nursing homes, senior centers, and organizations. In addition, telephone calls were made directly to elderly Christian widowers and elderly Christian married men requesting participation. Williams' Spiritual Needs Assessment Tool was the instrument used to identify spiritual needs. The concept of Psychosocial Transition was used to guide the study. A chi-square test indicated a significant difference (4.344, p < .05 level, df = 1) in the spiritual needs of elderly Christian widowed men (n = 30) and elderly Christian married men (n = 30). More elderly Christian widowed men were spiritually satisfied than elderly Christian married men. These elderly Christian widowed men were actively involved in church activities and were receiving spiritual support from members of their religious group. However, four elderly Christian widowers had higher total discrepancy scores than those of the individuals in the married group. This indicated that four subjects in the elderly Christian widower group had greater spiritual needs than any other subjects in the study.