The Article in Brief

Impact of Spiritual Symptoms and Their Interactions on Health Services and Life Satisfaction

David A. Katerndahl

Background Physical, psychological, and social factors all contribute to health. This study asks whether spiritual factors are related to health as well, looking not only at spiritual symptoms alone, but also at their interaction with physical, psychological, and social symptoms.

What This Study Found Spiritual symptoms (alone or in interaction with other factors) are related to seven of ten measurements of health used in this study. Life satisfaction is associated with both physical and spiritual symptoms.

Implications

• Spiritual symptoms, alone and in interaction with other factors, contribute to our understanding of health.
• This study confirms the complex relationship between spiritual, physical, psychological, and social symptoms of health.
• When attempting to understand why patients with poor quality of life use high levels of medical services, clinicians should inquire about spiritual issues.