title: Spiritual well-being as a dimension of quality of life for patients with advanced cancer and AIDS and their family caregivers: results of a longitudinal study.
abstract: Based on a longitudinal, quality-of-life study, this article presents pilot data regarding the spiritual well-being of patients with advanced cancer or AIDS and their family caregivers. Data include similarities and differences between the patient and caregiver populations and patient/family caregiver dyads as well as trends with regard to changes in spiritual well-being during the illness and dying process. The reliability of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale was examined for patient and caregiver groups, as was the relationship between selected demographic variables and spiritual well-being. Implications for practice are discussed.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, New York University, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Deborah Witt
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Sherman
authors.forename: Xiang Y
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McSherry
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calabrese
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Parkas
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gatto
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012944:Social Support; D029181:Spirituality; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019452:Terminally Ill / Q000523:psychology*