Spirituality and Satisfaction in Elderly’s Life: A Pilot Study in Puerto Rico

The present study investigate the relationship between religious and spiritual attitudes with satisfaction in elderly life. It also investigates if gender has a moderating effect on this relationship. The participants of this study were 100 senior citizens (60 to 70 years old) from diverse households in the metropolitan area of the Puerto Rico Island. In terms of sociodemographic characteristics, as for instance, gender, 41% males and 64% females; as related to religion, 69.7% of the sample identified themselves as catholic; 14.1% as evangelical, and 10.1% as protestant. The results of the correlation test showed a significant ((r = .21, p < .05) positive relationship between spirituality and life satisfaction. Any moderating effect, using gender as a variable that could affect the relationship between spiritual attitudes with satisfaction in elderly life, was not found. When the correlation between spirituality and life satisfaction was evaluated, a low correlation was observed. We need to remember that the sample of this study was collected after one of the most catastrophic hurricanes affecting the island of Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria, so this study may suggest that the relationship between the religious attitudes, spirituality and life satisfaction could be affected by what elderly experience in an atmospheric disaster. Nevertheless, this study sets out that is necessary to continue the investigation of this variables in a near future, with and without atmospheric phenomena, affecting elderly life