The relationship between religiosity/spirituality and quality of life among female Eritrean refugees living in Norwegian asylum centres.

BACKGROUND

Women are more vulnerable to mental health problems than men after migration, but little is known about the influence of religiosity/spirituality on their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to explore religiosity/spirituality, in relationships with various domains of quality of life, among female Eritrean refugees staying in Norwegian asylum centres.

METHOD

A questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics was used together with the World Health OrganizationQuality of Life - Spirituality, Religiosity and Personal Beliefs (WHOQOL-SRPB) questionnaire, which assesses religiosity/spirituality and domains of quality of life. A total of 63 adult female Eritrean refugees who had been granted asylum but were still living in asylum reception centres located in southern and central Norway participated.

RESULTS

Religiosity/spirituality was independently associated with psychological quality of life ( = 0.367,  < .001), level of independence ( = 0.184,  = .028), social quality of life ( = 0.500,  = .003), environmental quality of life ( = 0.323,  < .001) and overall quality of life ( = 0.213,  < .001), but not with physical quality of life ( = 0.056,  = .679). There were no significant differences between religious affiliations on religiosity/spirituality or quality of life measures.

CONCLUSION

Consistent with previous research, this study highlights the correlation between religiosity/spirituality and overall quality of life. We recommend a longitudinal follow-up study of similar populations, after they are resettled and integrated into their host countries, to understand the associations between quality of life and religiosity/spirituality over time.