The Relationship between Spiritual Well-being and Religious Activity with Health-related Quality of Life in Adolescent girls, Tabriz-2014-15.

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: Health related quality of life is one of the health indicators. Spirituality and religion, similar to factors such as culture and financial status, can also affect people’s quality of life. This study aimed to determine the relationship between Spiritual well-being and religious practice and health-related quality of life in adolescent girls in Tabriz-Iran, 2014-2015. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 520 adolescents 15-18 years old studying in the first to fourth grades at public and private high schools in Tabriz, Iran. The cluster sampling method was used in this study. The questionnaires used in this study included the questionnaires of socio-demographic characteristics, Spiritual Well-Being Scale, Arcury religious practices and health-related quality of life (KIDSCREEN-27). Results: The mean (SD) total score of quality of life was 59.8 (12.7) out of the achievable score range of 0-100. The highest score [74.3 (14.4)] was observed in the sub-domain of communication with parents and autonomy, whereas the lowest score [63.9 (13.1)] was observed in the psychological sub-domain. The mean score (SD) of spiritual well-being was 90.2 (16.2), ranging from 20 to 120. The highest mean among adolescents belonged to existential well-being [49.5 (7.9)] and the lowest mean belonged to religious well-being [40.6 (10.2)]. The mean (SD) total score of the religious practices was 32.1 (10.4) out of the achievable score range of 0-60. The highest score [13.1 (5.5)] was observed in private religious practices, whereas the lowest score [3.4 (1.8)] was observed in the provided religious support and received religious support. In this study, there was a significant positive correlation between health-related quality of life among adolescent girls and total spiritual well-being score and its dimensions and all aspects of religious practice questionnaire except for the sub-domain of attendance in religious places and ceremonies based on the Pearson’s correlation coefficient (p<0.005). Multivariate linear regression showed that the variables of religious practices, private religious practices, received religious support, religiosity, existential well-being, parents’ belief for their children's participation in religious ceremonies, father’s education, occupation and illness, family income status, and number of children were predictors of health-related quality of life in adolescents. Conclusion: The results of the present study show a significant relationship between spiritual well-being, religious practices and health-related quality of life in female adolescents. Thus, the results of this research can be helpful for policymakers and health professionals in order to improve and promote of adolescents’ quality of life.