Existential Spiritual Well-Being and Self-Empowerment in Pregnant Women

Park, Myeung Hee

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between self-empowerment and a existential spiritual well-being in pregnant women, and to provide the basic data for nursing intervention.The subjects were 182 women who visited 2 OBGY hospitals in Taegu, Korea and ranged in age from 21 to 40.The data was collected during the period from May 6th toMay 24th, 2002.The instruments were the revised existential spiritual well-being scale developed by Paloutzian and Ellison(1982). Originally the instruments were developed by Spreitzer(1995) and Jung Hea Joo(1998), who translated it into Korean.The data was analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression.The results of this study were as follows :1. Mean score of total empowerment was 3.72 and the subcategory 'meaning', had the highest score at 4.15.2. Mean score of existential spiritual well- being was 4.16.3. Existential spiritual well-being was positively related to self-empowerment (r=.400, P=000).4. A significant statistical difference between education, religion and self-empowerment was found.5. A significant statistical difference between hope of pregnancy and a existential spiritual well-being was found.6. The most important variable affecting the existential spiritual well-being was meaning which accounted for 15% of the total variance in stepwise multiple regression analysed. Three variables, competence and hope of pregnancy accounted for 22% in existential spiritual well-being. From the results of the study, the following ecommendations are presented :1) Indeed, we should identify existential spiritual well-being for real meaning of spiritual well-being in future.2) It is required to check the effect of existential spiritual well-being and self-empowerment through the repeated studies.3) We need to take a serious view of the meaning affecting existential spiritual well-being in pregnant women.