A study on the relationship between spiritual health and quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common chronic diseases and one of the major health problems in all countries worldwide. Considering the role of mental health in improving the health and quality of life (QOL) of patients with chronic diseases, this study was carried out aiming to determine the relationship between spiritual health and QOL among patients with type 2 DM. METHODS: This was a correlation descriptive study in which 330 patients with DM were selected using systematic sampling. Demographic, spirituality (Parsian and Dunning), and World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaires were used for collecting data. Moreover, descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation coefficient, simple linear regression, and multiple regression tests were exploited to analyze the data. RESULTS: The mean scores of the patients' spiritual health and QOL were 62.04 ± 14.36 and 67.85 ± 11.79, respectively. Spiritual health and all of its four dimensions had a direct and significant correlation with QOL. Meanwhile, two dimensions of self-awareness (r = 0.542) and spiritual needs (r = 0.511) had the highest correlation with QOL in these patients (P < 0.001). Furthermore, spiritual health and its two aspects, including self-awareness and spiritual needs had a significant effect on the QOL of the patients (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results showed that spiritual health affected QOL of the patients significantly; moreover, two of its dimensions, self-awareness and spiritual needs, had the greatest effect. Therefore, to improve the QOL of such patients, it is necessary to design and implement appropriate training programs with emphasis on these two dimensions.