[Spiritual beliefs and quality of life: a qualitative research about diabetic adolescent girls' perception]

ABSTRACT

Spirituality is an important aspect of health of people with chronic health conditions such as diabetes. Awareness from adolescents' perception about life quality and its effective factors is useful for controlling blood glucose in adolescents and causes motivation in adolescents for self care. The aim of this study was to explore spirituality effects on life quality in diabetic adolescent girls. A qualitative design using content analysis was applied in order to seek the purpose. Data were collected using in-depth semi structured interviews and focus groups with participation of 28 adolescent girls with type 1diabetes. The participants were recruited by purposeful sampling of "West Azerbaijan Diabetes Association" members as well as some patients' referral to Urmia city hospitals diabetes clinics. Following data analysis, participants in this study were categorized in four general groups; people with religious attitude and satisfied from their life, people who perform religious etiquettes and satisfied from their life, people with spiritual beliefs and adaptation with diabetes, and finally people with spiritual beliefs and self care. Spirituality is an important factor that influences on the life quality of diabetic adolescent girls. In addition, spirituality helps adolescent girls with diabetes to cope with stressful situations and needs to be considered in management and care from these patients