The Relationship between Religion/Spirituality and the General Psychological Well-Being of the Elderly Institutionalised Population in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Abstract

Psychological well-being has a number of known benefits and is important for the quality of life of the elderly in particular. South Africa can be considered a religious country, with the majority of citizens identifying with some religious orientation. The elderly are considered to be a particularly religious segment of the population. This article reports on a quantitative exploratory study undertaken to ascertain whether a correlation exists between psychological well-being and religiosity/spirituality in the elderly institutionalised population of South Africa. The General Psychological Well-Being Scale and ASPIRES were administered to a convenience sample of 336 elderly in the Eastern Cape Province. A significant but weak positive correlation was found between the variables of psychological well-being and religiosity, which supports the findings of a body of studies undertaken from the positive psychology perspective.