Spirituality and Well Being: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

The present study assesses the role of spirituality in predicting the well being of three different age groups: the middle aged (40-45 years), young old (60-65 years) and oldest old (80 years and above). The sample consisted of 171 participants wherein there were 60 middle aged participants, 53 young old participants and 58 oldest old participants. For predicting the effect of spirituality (daily spiritual experiences and perceived closeness to God) on well being of the respondents of different age groups, simple linear regression was used. The analysis showed that daily spiritual experiences and perceived closeness to God were significant predictors of well being for the middle aged and oldest old respondents. However for the young old respondents only perceived closeness to God was a significant predictor of well being. The results are discussed in light of existing research.