Spirituality and quality of life in older people with chronic illness in Thailand

Aim: Spirituality has been identified as an important strategy for coping with chronic illness and as a resource to promote quality of life (QOL). This pilot study aimed to determine existing correlations between spirituality and participant-based domains of the QOL of the chronically ill elderly. Methods: Participants (n = 100) aged 60+ who had at least one chronic illness were recruited from members of an Elderly Club in Thailand. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the JAREL Spiritual Well-Being instrument, and the QOL Index-Generic Version. Demographic and JAREL questionnaires were analysed using descriptive statistics. Ferrans and Powers' scoring syntax was utilized in the analysis of QOL questionnaires. The correlation between spirituality and the QOL domains was tested using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: All participants reported a high level of spirituality (M = 4.47, SD = 0.45), especially in the domain of life satisfaction/self-actualization (M = 5.14, SD = 0.61). The 70+ group rated their life satisfaction significantly higher than did those aged <70 years (P < 0.05). Participants reported a relatively high QOL and were satisfied with areas of life important to them (M = 22.80, SD = 3.76), especially in the family domain (M = 24.60, SD = 5.11). Discussion: This outcome suggests that spirituality is associated with QOL, which is consistent with similar work undertaken in other countries. Conclusion: Providing spiritual care for older people with chronic illnesses is important and exploring the spiritual needs of older people should continue for further study.