Spirituality and well-being in frail and nonfrail older adults

Previous studies have identified that spiritual beliefs contribute to psychological well-being (PWB) in older people, but limited research has considered the effects of spirituality on PWB when physical health deteriorates and people become frail. We recruited 233 British participants from warden-controlled retirement housing to complete interviewer-administered questionnaires. Results showed that, after we controlled for marital status, age, education, other health problems, and gender, degree of frailty had a negative effect on PWB. Spirituality was also a significant predictor of PWB and moderated the negative effects of frailty on PWB. Therefore, this study suggests that spirituality is a resource in maintaining PWB, and that the use of this resource is more significant for individuals with greater levels of frailty. W ELL-BEING in older adults is generally reported in theliterature as remaining stable with age (Diener, Suh, Lucas, & Smith, 1999; Kunzmann, Little, & Smith, 2000), although gender differences have been reported, with older men having higher levels of subjective well-being than older women (Smith & Baltes, 1998). Despite this general stability, research has shown that older adults who are classified as frai