A Comparative Study of Life-Closing Spirituality in Home Hospice Patients

This secondary analysis compared two groups of home hospice patients (expressed spirituality,N= 44, and nonexpressed spirituality,N= 53) on psychological well-being and adaptation, social support, physical function, pain, and demographic variables. Independent-samplesttests found no significant differences atp< .05 for age, psychological well-being and adaptation, social support, and physical function. Three components of the McGill-Melzack Pain Questionnaire were significantly higher for the nonexpressed spirituality group: Affective Dimension, Pain Rating Index, and Number of Words Chosen. A comparative analysis of two groups of home hospice patients supported higher pain reports as significant indicators of nonexpressed spirituality in a home hospice population.

The relationship among Spirituality, Religious Ideology, and Personality

An initial pool of 145 undergraduates was administered the Spiritual Orientation Inventory (SOI), Dimensions of Religious Ideology Scale (DRIS), Personal Orientation Inventory (POI), and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). The SOI and DRIS examine the manner in which individuals address issues of ultimate meaning and concern in their lives. The POI measures healthy personality characteristics associated with self-actualization, while the MMPI-2 measures maladaptive personality characteristics associated with pathology. On the basis of SOI and DRIS scores five groups of subjects were formed: High Spirituality, High Religious Ideology, High Combined, Moderate Combined, and Low Combined. The High Spirituality Group was found to score significantly higher than the Low Combined Group for six scales of the POI. Significant differences between groups were also found for the Type A scale of the MMPI-2.