Functional well-being is positively correlated with spiritual well-being in women who have spontaneous premature ovarian failure.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between spiritual well-being and functional well-being in women who have spontaneous premature ovarian failure. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: The Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center at the US National Institutes of Health. PATIENT(S): Women diagnosed with spontaneous premature ovarian failure (N = 138) at a median age of 28 years. INTERVENTION(S): Administration of validated self-reporting instruments. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Functional Well-Being, Spiritual Well-Being, Meaning/Peace, and Faith scores. RESULT(S): We found a significant positive correlation between overall spiritual well-being and functional well-being scores. The Meaning/Peace subscale strongly correlated with functional well-being, explaining approximately 62% of the variance. In contrast, the Faith subscale was less strongly correlated with functional well-being, explaining only 7% of the variance. In multiple regression analysis evaluating the relative subscale contributions to functional well-being, only Meaning/Peace remained statistically significant. We found no significant associations between either spiritual well-being or functional well-being and age; age at diagnosis; time since diagnosis; or partner, children, or racial status. CONCLUSION(S): This study provides cross-sectional data supporting the need for prospective controlled studies. Strategies to improve spiritual well-being in the domains of meaning, purpose, and inner peace may provide a therapeutic approach to reduce the emotional suffering that accompanies the life-altering diagnosis of premature ovarian failure.

Assessing the emotional needs of women with spontaneous premature ovarian failure.

OBJECTIVE: To examine women's emotional responses to learning the diagnosis of premature ovarian failure (POF) and identify the sources of support used for coping. DESIGN: Observational study. SETTING: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. PATIENT(S): One hundred women previously diagnosed with POF of median age 28 years at diagnosis. INTERVENTION(S): Structured telephone interviews based on focus group findings. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Manner informed of POF diagnosis, emotional response, and areas of emotional support. RESULT(S): Overall, 71% were unsatisfied with the manner in which they were informed by their clinician, and 89% reported experiencing moderate to severe emotional distress at the time. The degree of emotional distress was positively correlated with the degree of dissatisfaction with the manner in which the women had been informed of the diagnosis. Thorough and accurate medical information on POF, support of others, and spirituality were perceived as helpful in coping. CONCLUSION(S): Learning the diagnosis of POF can be emotionally traumatic and difficult for women. The findings suggest that the manner in which patients are informed of this diagnosis can significantly impact their level of distress. Patients perceive a need for clinicians to spend more time with them and provide more information about POF.