Role of Spirituality on the Association Between Depression and Quality of Life in Stroke Survivor–Care Partner Dyads

Not for me.  Don't let your doctor use this as a get out of jail free card for not getting you 100% recovered.  A statement from my parents that 'God doesn't give you anything more than you can handle'. A God that is that evil tipped me completely into atheism and I relied on my own internal strengths to get where I am today.

 

Role of Spirituality on the Association Between Depression and Quality of Life in Stroke Survivor–Care Partner Dyads

Gianluca Pucciarelli

,

Ercole Vellone

,

Tatiana Bolgeo

,

Silvio Simeone

,

Rosaria Alvaro

,

Christopher S. Lee

,

Karen S. Lyons

Originally published26 May 2020https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.119.006129Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. ;0

Abstract

Background

Little is known about the protective effect of spirituality on the association between known risk factors such as depression and quality of life (QOL) in stroke survivor-care partner dyads. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the moderating role of spirituality on the association between depressive symptomatology and QOL in stroke survivor–care partner dyads.

Methods and Results

Longitudinal design with 223 stroke survivor–care partner dyads enrolled at survivor discharge from rehabilitation hospitals. Data collection was performed over 12 months. We measured survivors’ and care partners’ depression, quality of life, and spirituality. Examining the moderating role of spirituality on the association between depressive symptoms and QOL within survivor-care partner dyads, we used a traditional Actor-Partner-Interdependence Model and a basic Actor-Partner-Interdependence Model moderation model for a mixed variable. Survivors (51% male) and care partners (66% female) were 70.7 and 52.3 years old, respectively. The survivor’s spirituality significantly moderated the association between care partner depressive symptomatology and survivor psychological QOL (B=0.03, P<0.05) and moderated the association between care partner depressive symptoms and care partner physical (B=0.05, P<0.001) and psychological (B=0.04, P<0.001) QOL. The care partner’s own level of spirituality was significantly positively associated with their physical QOL (B=0.28, P<0.001).

Conclusions

The findings from this study have broad implications for the role of spirituality in relation to QOL in medical-health contexts and the importance of examining such concepts within a dyadic framework. Greater awareness of the importance of spirituality among clinicians and nurses may improve cultural competence in healthcare services.

Footnotes

Gianluca Pucciarelli, PhD, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy. Email gianluca.pucciarelli@uniroma2.it