Correlation Between Spirituality and Quality of Life in People With Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSKDs) is increasing day by day in industrially growing countries like India. Spirituality forms the roots of Indian culture, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is one of the important factors affecting health. Many studies have concluded the correlation between spirituality and quality of life (QoL), but when works of literature were searched on PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, no such study was conducted in India on people with MSKDs. Hence, the aim of this study is to find out the correlation between spirituality and QoL in patients with MSKDs. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 161 patients with MSKDs coming to Dhiraj General Hospital, Vadodara, India, from October 2023 to December 2023, fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria, were included. The demographic data and the site of pain were recorded. The severity of pain was assessed using the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). The Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES) and RAND 36-Item Health Survey (Version 1.0) were used to assess spirituality and QoL. Results DSES was found to have a fair correlation with NPRS with a p-value of 0.013. Among the eight components of RAND-36, energy, emotional well-being, social function, pain, and general health were found to have a positive correlation with DSES with p-values of 0.008, 0.001, 0.009, 0.032, and <0.001, respectively, whereas no correlation was found between DSES and other components of RAND-36. Conclusion This study provides empirical data about how spirituality is positively related to different aspects of QoL. This can be further useful in planning integrated healthcare approaches based on spirituality for better QoL in patients with MSKDs.