Harvey Idethia Shevon, Cook Lawanda
Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 127 S Huff Hall, MC-588, Champaign, IL 61820, USA.
Chronic Illn. 2010 Jun;6(2):111-24. doi: 10.1177/1742395309350228. Epub 2010 May 5.
The purpose of this study was to examine the role of spirituality in the self-management of chronic illness among older women with chronic conditions.
A sample of 41 African-American and non-Hispanic White women, of age 66 and older, participated in the process of self-care study. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews and analysed for common themes using the Grounded Theory method.
Audiotaped and transcribed interviews identified four categories that emerged to suggest the influence of spirituality in behavioural change and disease management: (1) God's involvement in illness management; (2) prayer as a mediator; (3) spirituality as a coping mechanism; and (4) the combination of conventional and spiritual practices.
Older women with various chronic illnesses defined 'spirituality' in a broad, holistic way, and the findings suggest that spirituality played a part in documenting the self-management process. Knowledge of spirituality and the role it plays in illness management may assist public health gerontologists in designing effective and culturally appropriate self-management programmes.
本研究旨在探讨精神信仰在患有慢性疾病的老年女性慢性病自我管理中的作用。
41名年龄在66岁及以上的非裔美国人和非西班牙裔白人女性参与了自我护理研究。数据通过半结构化访谈收集，并采用扎根理论方法分析共同主题。
录音和转录的访谈确定了四类情况，表明精神信仰对行为改变和疾病管理有影响：（1）上帝参与疾病管理；（2）祈祷作为一种调解方式；（3）精神信仰作为一种应对机制；（4）传统做法与精神做法相结合。
患有各种慢性病的老年女性以广泛、整体的方式定义“精神信仰”，研究结果表明精神信仰在记录自我管理过程中发挥了作用。了解精神信仰及其在疾病管理中的作用可能有助于公共卫生老年病学家设计有效且符合文化背景的自我管理项目。
