ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The World Health Organisation defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infermity". In May 1984 the spiritual dimension became part of WHO Member States' strategies for health. The WHO defines quality of life as "individuals' perceptions of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns." PURPOSE: To test health workers' quality of life (QOL) with regard to their spirituality. METHODS: The WHOQOL SRPB-domain 6 was used. It denotes an individual's perception of quality of life, as far as spirituality is concerned. The sample was formed by 116 health workers from three wards of three Rehabilitation Hospitals owned by the Brothers of Saint John of God, in Northern Italy. RESULTS: The sample shows means above the mid-point in all facets denoting reasonably good quality of life in the domain of spirituality. The most significative variables are: health conditions (p = .001*), religiousness (p < or = .0005**), personal creed (p < or = .0005**). IMPLICATIONS: The sample's quality of life in the domain of spirituality is reasonably good. Our findings suggest that spirituality is associated with the subjective perception of people's health status.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Health Status , Medical Staff, Hospital/psychology , Nursing Staff, Hospital/psychology , Quality of Life , Spirituality , Adult , Aged , Alzheimer Disease/rehabilitation , Analysis of Variance , Attitude of Health Personnel/ethnology , Cultural Characteristics , Female , Holistic Health , Hospitals, Religious , Humans , Italy , Male , Middle Aged , Nursing Methodology Research , Rehabilitation Centers , Religion and Psychology , Social Values , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to investigate whether the capacity to form mental images influences the frequency with which subjects use mental images. Two tests measuring capacity for mental imagery were given to 283 undergraduates, a self-assessment and a performance test. Frequency of spontaneous use of mental imagery was also measured. Subjects with high self-assessed ability to form images used mental imagery spontaneously more often than those with low self-assessed imaging ability.
