Spiritual wellbeing and quality of life in stoma patients

Abstract

Aim: Although there has been considerable recent research from around the world on the effect of spiritual wellbeing in a variety of chronic conditions, little research has been conducted specifically on the spiritual wellbeing of patients with a stoma. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify spiritual wellbeing in ostomates and determine whether this had any impact on their quality of life (QoL). Method: This study was conducted in Iran in 2016, and 70 ostomates were enrolled through convenience sampling. The data collection instrument was based on Palutzian and Ellison's Spiritual Wellbeing Scale and the City of Hope Quality of Life-Ostomy Questionnaire. Results: Among the 70 participants, 38 were women (54%). The mean of the total QoL scores was 4.4 (SD=0.7). When separated into physical, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions, the mean QoL scores were 5.7 (SD=0.8), 4.2 (SD=0.7), 3.4 (SD=0.7) and 4.7 (SD=1.1), respectively. The mean score for spiritual wellbeing was 75.1 (SD=7.7). Physical, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions of QoL and total QoL had direct and significant correlations. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that there is a relationship between QoL and spiritual wellbeing levels in ostomates, and this can be used by health-care planners and caregivers to improve the QoL of their patients.