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Based on the readings assigned for this unit from the textbook, provide a summary of the article on quantitative methodology that you chose from the library search you were assigned to complete in the unit studies. Address the following:

Describe the type of quantitative research that was conducted: non-experimental, experimental, quasi-experimental, cross-sectional, or longitudinal.
Describe the variables investigated in the research and how they were measured.
Describe what is meant by scientific merit, and discuss ways in which it could have been improved in the article.
List the persistent link for the article. Use the Persistent Links and DOIs library guide, linked in the Resources, to learn how to locate this information in the library databases.
Cite all sources in APA style, and provide an APA-formatted reference list at the end of your post.
Persistent link

https://search-proquest-com.library.capella.edu/docview/1985859541/fulltextPDF/F5256BEE3BF74331PQ/1?accountid=27965

This is the reference for this article:

Johnson, E. T., Kaseroff, A., Flowers, S., Sung, C., Iwanaga, K., Chan, F., . . . Catalano, D. (2017). Psychosocial mechanisms explaining the association between spirituality and happiness in individuals with spinal cord injuries. The Journal of Rehabilitation, 83(4), 34-42.

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The main objective of this study was to examine health status, perceived stress, social support, self-esteem and psychological well-being as mediator variables for the relationship between spirituality and happiness. Quantitative descriptive research design using multiple regression and correlation techniques was used. Participants were 274 individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) recruited from the Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan chapters of the Canadian Paraplegic Association. All of the five mediators were significantly associated with happiness. The five-mediator model accounted for 68% of the variance in happiness. The findings confirm spirituality is associated with happiness indirectly through its association with perceived stress, health status, social support, self-esteem, and psychological well-being, each of which is uniquely associated with happiness. Rehabilitation counselors should consider integrating spiritual interventions with health promotion interventions in vocational rehabilitation services for individuals with SCI to improve outcomes in life satisfaction.

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Headnote

At the onset of a traumatic disability, such as a spinal cord injury (SCI), a person’s spiritual beliefs may provide a mechanism for healing and coping with stress (Marini & Glover-Graf, 2011). The physical and psychological effects of sustaining a SCI may require individuals to reevaluate their worldview in order to successfully adjust to a newly acquired disability identity. A person’s worldview is molded by spiritual influences including his or her thoughts and beliefs concerning life, death, and suffering (Littooij et al., 2016). As such, spirituality impacts how a person adapts to an acquired disability.

In the fields of health and rehabilitation, an extensive body of literature addresses the relationship between spirituality and health outcomes. However, the majority of research has focused on individuals with terminal health conditions (e.g., end stage cancer), who may use spiritual and religious coping as a way to make peace with their illness, resolve lingering issues, and prepare for death. As medical and technological advances extend longevity, improve health and function, and facilitate independent living, the influence of spirituality for a person living with a disability, such as SCI may be different. Spiritual and religious beliefs may facilitate positive adjustment by helping individuals with disabilities maintain health status, manage the daily stress of coping with a disability, find new meaning and purpose, and establish new life goals (Johnstone et al., 2007; Johnstone, Franklin, Yoon, Burris & Shigaki, 2008).

Despite empirical evidence linking spirituality and health outcomes, the relationship between spirituality and positive psychosocial adjustment to disability has not been adequately investigated. A recent scoping review of 26 studies addressing spirituality and psychosocial adjustment for persons with SCI does provide some evidence that spirituality plays a contributing role in adjustment post-SCI (Jones, Simpson, Briggs, and Dorsett, 2016). However, the mechanisms via which spirituality influences psychosocial adjustment remains unclear, resulting in a gap in knowledge. Considering depression and rates of suicide for persons with SCI are higher than people without disabilities, (Marini & Glover-Graf, 2011), it is important to further investigate psychosocial mechanisms, such as spirituality, that may improve mental health and quality of life for persons with SCI to mitigate potential negative outcomes.

Spirituality and Happiness

Spirituality has long been associated with better health, a longer life span, and greater levels of happiness and life satisfaction (Udermann, 2000). Martinez and Scott (2014) identify spirituality as a strong psychosocial predictor of happiness implying spirituality influences engagement in meaningful daily activities which then influences happiness. For persons with disabilities, one study shows spirituality is a strong predictor for happiness, controlling for inflammation, pain and stiffness, physical functioning, age, and mood in those diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (Bartlett, Piedmont, Bilderback, Matsumoto, & Bathon, 2003). In another study, a spiritualty-based intervention led to increased hope, happiness, and life satisfaction in breast cancer survivors (Fallah, Golzari, Dastin, & Akbari, 2011). These studies elucidate the need to further investigate of the impact of spirituality and mental health outcomes including happiness and well-being.

Psychosocial Mechanisms

Due to an emerging conceptual framework highlighting spirituality as an important positive coping strategy for psychosocial adaptation to chronic illness and disability, the need for further research forms the basis for the current study. Specifically, we examine the underlying psychosocial mechanisms by which health status, perceived stress, social support, self-esteem, and psychological well-being influence the relationship between spirituality and happiness based on the following summative review of the literature.

Health status. The relationship between spirituality and health status has been well-documented in the literature. Research indicates spirituality and regular engagement in spiritual practices, such as prayer and service attendance, are strong predictors of general health status independent of age, level of education, and socioeconomic status (Krause, Emmons, & Ironson, 2015; Ferraro & Albrecht-Johnson, 1991). Spirituality also plays a role in recovery and healing. For example, in a study of heart-transplant recipients, those persons who reported strong spiritual beliefs and regular spiritual service attendance adhered more closely to their rehabilitation plan, had higher physical functioning levels, and better indexes of emotional wellbeing (Harris et al., 1995). Hudson (1996) states the beneficial effects of spirituality are not just limited to individuals with strong spiritual beliefs prior to the onset of illness. In Hudson’s study, those who increased their level of spiritual commitment while in treatment reported their health as better than the health of those who did not. In Cheadle and Schnetter’s (2017) summative review of the spirituality and health status literature, they indicate four underlying mechanisms linking the two variables including (1) social mechanisms (e.g., social interactions and support), (2) behavioral mechanisms (e.g., religious/spiritual practices such as medication and prayer which may reduce anxiety), (3) psychological mechanisms (e.g., finding purpose and meaning in life) and (4) biological mechanisms (e.g., reduction in stress and inflammatory biomarkers). Based on these findings, the potential influence of spirituality on the health status of persons with SCI cannot be ignored.

Perceived stress. People with chronic illness have to cope with high levels of stress that pose a barrier to their happiness and well-being, particularly those who have acquired a severe injury such as SCI (Livneh & Wilson, 2003). For instance, individuals with SCI have indicated bowel or bladder accidents, secondary injuries, and public embarrassment are disability-related sources of stress (DeGraff & Schaffer, 2008). Research indicates that a reduction of stress is associated with greater levels of life satisfaction in older adults (Lee, Besthom, Bolin, &…