Spiritual Wellness Across Elder Living Arrangements

Spiritual well-being plays a central role in shaping meaning, purpose, and emotional resilience in laterlife. For older adults, residential settings—whether living within the family system or in an institutionalenvironment—may influence opportunities for connection, coping, and personal growth. This studyassesses differences in spiritual well-being among older adults residing in old age homes and thoseliving with family, and further evaluates gender-based variations. A sample of 180 participantscompleted the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS), and data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance(ANOVA) at the 0.01 significance level. The results demonstrated significant effects of both residenceand gender on spiritual well-being. Older adults living with family reported notably higher spiritualwell-being (M = 112.36, SD = 26.91) compared to those living in institutional settings (M = 101.70, SD =22.56). Gender differences also emerged, with females showing higher spiritual well-being (M = 111.78,SD = 28.32) than males (M = 100.27, SD = 29.19). ANOVA findings confirmed that residence (F = 4.11,p < .01), gender (F = 6.62, p < .01), and their combined interaction (F = 5.88, p < .01) significantlyinfluenced participants’ scores. These results suggest that family-based environments may providegreater emotional support, continuity of religious or cultural practices, and opportunities forinterpersonal closeness, which strengthen spiritual well-being in old age. The higher scores amongwomen may reflect gendered patterns of emotional expression, spirituality, and communityengagement. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of residential context and gender inunderstanding spiritual well-being and underscore the need for supportive programs that enhancemeaning and connectedness among older adults across living arrangements.