The Relationship between Spiritual Health and Hope by Adherence to the Medication Regimen in the Elderly with Type 2 Diabetes

Due to the increasing number of elderly people in Iran, as well as chronic diseases, such as diabetes, in the elderly, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between spiritual health and hope with adherence to the medication regimens in the elderly with type 2 diabetes.

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in the diabetes clinic of 22 Bahman Hospital in Gonabad, Iran. The data were collected using the demographic information form, Herth Hope Index (HHI), Paloutzian and Ellison Spiritual Well Being Scale, and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS) by interview method. Data were analyzed using independent t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Spearman coefficient in SPSS software.

Most of the participants had high spiritual health, high hope, and low adherence to medication regimen. In addition, spiritual health was directly related to treatment adherence (P < 0.05); however, no relationship was found between hope and treatment adherence (P > 0.05).

High hope in an elderly person cannot be a reason for good adherence to medication regimen, but for appropriate medication adherence, it is necessary for the elderly to have correct and sufficient information about their medication and treatment plan.