Presentation
Effect of a spiritual retreat on perceived stress of Nigerian Catholic immigrant sisters in the United States.
American Public Health Association Annual Meeting
(2018)
Abstract
Background: Stress among immigrants may be due to loss of familiar environment and experience of discrimination. An intentional time away from normal activities to experience the presence of a higher power may be a way to renew one’s sense of confidence in dealing with stressful life situations. No study exists on the effect of spiritual retreat on the perceived stress of Nigerian Catholic immigrant sisters. The present study examined whether participation in a 6-day spiritual retreat results in changes in perceived stress and whether changes in perceived stress depend on participants age, length of residence in the United States, number of years in religious life, type of employment, and level of education.
Methods: A total of 88 Nigerian Catholic immigrant sisters completed the Perceived Stress questionnaire pre-retreat, day 3, and immediately after a spiritual retreat (day 6) at a retreat center. Friedman Two-way ANOVA by rank with time as a within-subjects factor was used to determine if there are mean changes in perceived stress pre-retreat, day 3, and post-retreat. Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA was used to determine if there were demographic differences in perceived stress over the three-time period.
Results: There were no differences in perceived stress at baseline, but there was a significant reduction in perceived stress on day 3 and immediately after the spiritual retreat. We found no differences in perceived stress for the demographic variables except age.
Conclusion: Data support a short-term effect of spiritual retreat in reducing stress among Nigerian Catholic immigrant sisters. Africans have a deeply rooted sense of spirituality, so the findings of this study may suggest to healthcare professionals/practitioners the need to take a more holistic approach when attending to the mental and physical health of African immigrants.
Disciplines
Publication Date
Fall November 13, 2018
Location
San Diego, CA
Citation Information
Angela Ekwonye, Verna DeLauer and Terrence Cahill. "Effect of a spiritual retreat on perceived stress of Nigerian Catholic immigrant sisters in the United States." American Public Health Association Annual Meeting (2018) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/angela-ekwonye/12/