The Relationship Between Spiritual Well-being and Anxiety of Aged People Admitted in Coronary Care Units

Objectives Spiritual distress and anxiety are the most common problems of the elderly patients admitted in coronary care units. The elder patients are more vulnerable due to the weakening of adaptation mechanisms. Given that earlier studies on spiritual health revealed that it was related to the physical and mental health, but the relationship between spiritual health and state-trait anxiety was not clear yet. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between spiritual health and state-trait anxiety among the elderly patients admitted in coronary care units. Methods & Materials This study was a correlational cross-sectional study. Sixty-six elderly cardiac patients hospitalized in coronary care unit were selected by convenience sampling method. Data were collected by using Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Palutzian and Ellison Spiritual Well-being questionnaires. Analysis of data including descriptive statistics, Pearson, ANOVA t-test, and correlation coefficient was carried out using SPSS version 21. P level of less than 00.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Most participants (69.7%) aged between 60 to 70 years, 59.1% were female and 63.6% were married. The majority of them (57.6%) were illiterate. The mean score of spiritual well-being was 79.55. The mean of trait anxiety was in the mid-range of 45.18 +/- 9.21, and the mean and standard deviation of anxiety state was in the high range of 58.44 +/- 29.9. The results revealed a significant negative relationship between spiritual religious health, and state-trait anxiety (P<0.05). The highest correlation was found between spiritual health and trait anxiety (P<0.003). Conclusion Because of the significant relationship between spiritual health and anxiety, identifying and addressing the elderly patients' spiritual needs can lead to reducing the patients' anxiety.