A Comparative Study on Spiritual Well-Being and Perceived Health Status between Above Average and Low Income for Elderly People

Park, Jeong Sook; Lee, Hae Ran

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study was to provide basic data for comprehensive nursing care for elderly people and to compare the spiritual well-being and perceived health status between elderly people who have above average income and those who have low income. METHODS: The data were collected from 80 elders with above average income and 81 with low income through face-to-face interviews. An elder was defined as a person over 60 years of age. The data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, ANCOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and Scheffe test. RESULTS: The mean score for spiritual well being for elders with above average income was 2.90 of a total possible score of 4 and for elders with low income, 2.49 and the difference was significant. The mean score for perceived health status for elders with above average income was 8.93 of a total possible score of 14 and for elders with low income, 7.47 and the difference was also significant. There was a statistically positive correlation between existential well-being and perceived health status for the total sample of elderly people and for the elders with low income. CONCLUSION: Spiritual nursing care should be included in comprehensive health care programs for elderly people in Korea. Especially, it is important to develop nursing interventions for elders with low income that will increase their spiritual well-being and help them to develop positive thinking towards perceived health status.