title: Spiritual Well-Being and Psychological Adjustment: Mediated by Interpersonal Needs?
abstract: Spiritual well-being has been shown to reduce suicidal behavior, depressive symptoms, and hopelessness. Thwarted interpersonal needs have been shown to increase risk of suicidal behavior. This paper aims to explore the interrelationships among spiritual well-being, thwarted interpersonal needs, and negative outcomes including suicidal ideation, hopelessness, and depressive symptoms among African American women. Sixty-six African American women (M = 36.18; SD = 11.70), from a larger study of women who had experienced interpersonal violence within the past year, completed self-report questionnaires. Mediation analyses revealed that thwarted belongingness, but not perceived burdensomeness, significantly mediated the relations between spiritual well-being and the three outcomes. This study provides the first examination of the role of thwarted interpersonal needs on the link between spiritual well-being and negative psychological outcomes. Spiritual well-being serves a protective role against feelings of social isolation, which may reduce one's risk of negative psychological outcomes. Treatments that bolster a sense of spirituality and social connectedness may reduce suicidal ideation, hopelessness, and depressive symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Ashly L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gaskin-Wasson
authors.affiliation: University of California at Los Angeles Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Kristin L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Lilian J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Grady Hospital, Emory University School of Medicine, 80 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA. nkaslow@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Nadine J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Kaslow
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D000066498:Emotional Adjustment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012307:Risk Factors; D029181:Spirituality; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: African American; Interpersonal needs; Spiritual well-being; Suicide