Survey of Relationship between spiritual wellbeing with Anxiety and Some Demographic Variables in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery patients had a much anxiety and distress in the acute situation that this stress leads to more ischemia، re-infarction، tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. On the other hand heart disease affects person''s spirituality. Although findings of numerous studies revealed significant relation between spiritual well-being and stress in cardiac patients، but paradoxical findings in researches encouraged us to design and perform study of the relationship between spiritual well-being and stress in patients with coronary artery disease.

In this descriptive – correlation study، 392 patients with coronary artery disease admitted in special section were enrolled with census method in 6 months. Finally 85 patients with inclusion criteria filled the questionnaire (demographic information، spiritual well-being scale and situational spielberger questionnaire). Data was analyzed in SPSS-18 and by using descriptive methods as well as spearman and pearson''s correlation coefficients. In present study P-value < 0. 05 was significant.

Mean total score of spiritual well-being was 103. 11 ± 9. 68 from 120، mean score of existential aspect of spiritual well-being was 45. 48± 9. 06 from 60 and mean scores of religious aspect was 57. 63± 4. 20 from 60. Also mean scores of situational anxiety was 40. 80± 13. 03. There was statistically significant relationship between anxiety and existential (P < 0. 001; r = -0. 46) and religious (P = 0. 01; r = -0. 26) aspects of spiritual well-being in patients with heart ischemic disease. Anxiety and total score of spiritual well-being were also significantly (P < 0. 001; r = -0. 47).

This study strongly indicate that coronary arteries patients with higher scores spirituality well being had less anxiety. So spirituality well being was a protective factor against anxiety in these patients.