The Relationship Between Stress and Importance of Spiritual Needs Among Ambulatory Care Clients
Kathleen Tripp

The problem addressed in this study was to identify the relationships among life changes, seriousness of illness, and religious orientation and the perception of the importance of spiritual needs. The investigator hypothesized a positive correlation between magnitude of life changes, seriousness of illness, and perception of importance of spiritual needs. The investigator also hypothesized that there would be a positive correlation between life changes in the past 12 months and the seriousness of illness.

A sample of convenience, involving 105 subjects over 18 years of age, was surveyed in an ambulatory care setting. The variables listed above were measured using a questionnaire which included demographic data and four instruments: the Social Readjustment Rating Scale, the Seriousness of Illness Rating Scale, the Personal Religious Orientation Inventory, and the Spiritual Needs Inventory.

Results of the data analysis, using Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient, did not support any of the hypotheses of the investigation. There were no significant correlation's between magnitude of life change, seriousness of illness, and perception of the importance of spiritual needs. There was a statistically significant, though empirically weak, negative correlation between magnitude of life change and seriousness of illness. Multivariate analysis revealed that females, weekly or monthly church attendees, >and intrinsic or indiscriminately proreligious individuals indicated a perception of spiritual needs as being more important than did other individuals in this study.

The investigator recommended that further research is needed to clarify the concept of spiritual needs, to identify other factors associated with perception of importance of spiritual needs, and to develop a valid and reliable spiritual needs assessment tool.