The Relationship Between Spiritual Health and Coping Strategies in Patients with Heart Failure: A Cross-Sectional Study
akhlāq-i pizishkī i.e., Medical Ethics,
Vol. 19 (1404),
25 September 2025
,
Page 1-16
https://doi.org/10.22037/mej.v19i-.51970
Abstract
Background and Aim: Heart failure is a chronic and debilitating disease that, in addition to physical consequences, imposes considerable psychological and social burdens on patients. Spiritual health, as a holistic dimension of health, may influence patients’ coping strategies and their adaptation to illness. The present study aimed to determine the correlation between spiritual health and coping strategies in patients with heart failure.
Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted in 2019 on 180 patients with heart failure who attended two cardiology clinics in Tehran. Data were collected using a researcher-developed demographic questionnaire, the Paloutzian and Ellison Spiritual Well-Being Scale, and the Brief COPE questionnaire developed by Charles S. Carver. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson correlation coefficient in SPSS 16. A significance level of p≤0.05 was considered.
Ethical Considerations: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants and confidentiality of their information was maintained in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
Results: The mean total score of spiritual health was 89.86±16.22. The mean scores for the religious health and existential health dimensions were 46.86±8.74 and 42.99±8.79, respectively, indicating slightly higher scores in the existential dimension. Patients predominantly used problem-focused coping strategies, with acceptance and religion being the most frequently used subscales. Emotion-focused coping strategies were used more frequently by women and decreased with increasing age and longer duration of illness. Correlation analysis showed that spiritual health had a significant positive relationship with overall coping strategies (p<0.001) and problem-focused coping (p<0.001), while no significant relationship was found with emotion-focused coping (p>0.05).
Conclusion: The findings suggest that spiritual health, particularly the religious dimension, plays an important role in strengthening problem-focused coping strategies among patients with heart failure. These results highlight the importance of addressing spiritual aspects in clinical care, nursing education and the development of evidence-based supportive and management interventions.
- Heart Failure
- Spiritual Health
- Coping Strategies
- Nursing
- Chronic Disease
How to Cite
References
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