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Spiritual Well-Being and Health-Related Quality of Life Among African–American Women with HIV/AIDS

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Abstract

Many HIV-positive women regard spirituality as an important part of their lives and spirituality may have positive impact on their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Particularly among African American women with HIV, spirituality may serve as a cultural and psychological resource. This descriptive, crosssectional study examined associations between spiritual well-being (SWB) and its components, existential well-being (EWB) and religious well-being (RWB), and dimensions of HRQOL among a non-random sample of 118 African American HIV-positive women. A secondary analysis of data from two similar, NIH-funded studies: The Get Busy Living (GBL) Project and the KHARMA Project, was conducted. Baseline data on women from both studies were combined into one database and statistical analyses, including descriptive, correlation and hierarchical regression analyses, were conducted. Existential well-being was significantly positively (β = .74; p = .014) associated with the physical composite of HRQOL and accounted for a significant amount of unique variance (10.0%) beyond that explained by socio-demographic variables, religious well-being (RWB), HIV medication adherence, CD4 cell count and percentage, HIV viral load, and depressive symptoms. EWB was also significantly positively (β = .57; p = .024) associated with the mental health composite of HRQOL. Depressive symptomatology was also significantly inversely (β = .40; p = .004) associated with mental HRQOL. EWB accounted for a significant amount of additional variance (6.3%) beyond that explained by other variables. Spirituality is an important factor in the lives and quality of life of African American women and women living with HIV/AIDS. Further research is needed to examine relationships between spirituality and HRQOL among HIV-positive African American women.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the following National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) Grants: 1 R01 NR008094-01A1 RSUM, NRSA F31 NR009758-01, NR01 NR04857 (GBL Study), and R01 NR008094-01-A1 (KHARMA Project).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Safiya George Dalmida & Marcia McDonnell Holstad

  2. Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Colleen DiIorio

  3. Graduate Department of Religion, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Gary Laderman

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  1. Safiya George Dalmida
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  2. Marcia McDonnell Holstad
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  3. Colleen DiIorio
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  4. Gary Laderman
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Correspondence to Safiya George Dalmida.

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George Dalmida, S., Holstad, M.M., DiIorio, C. et al. Spiritual Well-Being and Health-Related Quality of Life Among African–American Women with HIV/AIDS. Applied Research Quality Life 6, 139–157 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-010-9122-6

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