Spiritual coping strategies and quality of life in older adults who have sustained a hip fracture: A cross-sectional survey.
Roberta Sammut, Christian Azzopardi, Liberato Camilleri
PMID 33570284WHAT IT FOUND
After hip fracture, non-religious coping such as relying on family, friends and nature was linked to better quality of life.
Overall spiritual coping was not linked to physical quality of life.
Key findings
01Overall spiritual coping scores did not predict physical quality of life.
02Non-religious coping was the strongest predictor of overall quality of life, while religious coping was negatively related to overall quality of life.
03Participants had the poorest quality-of-life scores in physical and psychological domains.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was a correlational survey, so it cannot show that coping strategies caused better quality of life. Only 147 of 287 questionnaires were returned, a 51% response rate. The sample included people who had survived at least the first year after fracture, and 114 had passed away before data collection, so it may not represent people who died early or were not eligible. Caregivers could help complete the questionnaire, and the researchers could not know whether the patient or the caregiver answered. The quality-of-life tool was generic and not designed for hip fracture, and the social quality-of-life subscale had poor internal consistency. The coping scale included Catholic items such as communion and church attendance, which may have favoured Catholic participants.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these associations as proof that encouraging non-religious coping will improve quality of life after hip fracture. The study was a cross-sectional survey, had a 51% response rate, allowed caregivers to help complete questionnaires, and cannot show that coping caused better quality of life.