title: Association of Sociodemographic Factors with Spirituality and Hope in Patients with Diabetic Foot Ulcers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate levels of spirituality and hope in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) according to sociodemographic factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a primary, prospective, descriptive, analytical, and clinical study. Questionnaires assessing sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the patients, the Spirituality Self-rating Scale (SSRS), and the Herth Hope Index (HHI) were administered to all participants.
  
  
  METHODS
  University-affiliated skilled nursing center and outpatient wound care clinic in Pouso Alegre, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty adult patients with DFUs participated in the study. Patients with ischemic diabetic foot and mixed ulcers were excluded from the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On average, patients with DFUs had low levels of spirituality (mean SSRS score, 12.6) and low hope for cure (mean HHI, 16.5). Patients younger than 60 years reported significantly lower levels of spirituality (mean SSRS scores, 11.0), and those older than 70 years had significantly lower hope for cure (mean HHI, 12.5) than other age groups (P = .040). Level of spirituality was significantly lower among women (P = .015) and those living with an ulcer for more than 2 years, who also reported significantly lower hope for cure (P = .029) compared with patients having an ulcer for less than 2 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On average, patients with DFUs, especially women and older adults, had a low sense of hope and spirituality. Except for gender, age, and ulcer duration, other sociodemographic and ulcer characteristics had no significant effect on the study population's spirituality and hope.
authors.forename: Geraldo Magela
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Salomé
authors.forename: Sergio Aguinaldo
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.forename: Maiume Roana Ferreira
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: de Carvalho
authors.forename: José Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bueno
authors.forename: Marcelo Renato
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Massahud
authors.forename: Lydia Masako
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001938:Brazil; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D065026:Hope; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*