Spiritual Well-Being and Spiritual Practices in HIV-Infected Women: A Preliminary Study

Today in the United States, women account for more than one quarter of all HIV diagnoses; globally, HIV is the leading cause of death among women ages 35 to 44 years. There is a growing body of research regarding spirituality among those who are infected with HIV. The purposes of this quantitative descriptive study were to (a) describe two dimensions of spirituality (spiritual well-being and spiritual practices), and (b) determine relationships between these dimensions of spirituality in HIV-infected women. Participants were 83 HIV-infected women. The average age of the women was 43 years, and the majority of the participants were African American (62%). The three most frequently used spiritual practices were praying alone, helping others, and listening to music. A high level of spiritual well-being was evident among the participants, and a positive relationship was shown between spiritual well-being and number of spiritual practices used. Recommendations for future research are included.