Is Spiritual Well-Being a Protective Factor Against Stress? An Analysis in a Sample of Peruvian Christians.

OBJECTIVE

The scientific literature indicates that there is a correlation between spiritual well-being and stress. However, there is a paucity of knowledge about the interrelationships between these two factors within the context of a Christian community. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between spiritual well-being and stress in a sample of Peruvian Christians.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional and correlational study. The sample consisted of 250 members of a Christian community in southern Peru. The sample was selected by nonprobabilistic purposive sampling. The Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) and the Stress Scale (SS-7) were used.

RESULTS

Negative and statistically significant correlation were found between spiritual well-being religious well-being and existential well-being with stress (p<0.001). The multiple regression analysis showed that spiritual well-being and sex accounted for 27.8% of the variance in stress levels (adjusted R2=0.278). Spiritual well-being (β=-0.512, p<0.001) has a significant negative effect on stress, while being female (β=0.114, p=0.035) is associated with higher stress levels compared to being male. The moderation effect was not significant, indicating that spiritual well-being influences stress similarly across both sexes (b=-0.0303, standard error=0.0405, t=-0.7469, p=0.456).

CONCLUSION

These findings support the integration of spiritual well-being into interventions for mental health promotion and prevention with an emphasis on stress; and confirm that the spirituality component of Christians can play an important role in lowering stress levels.