A 77-year-old client recently lost her husband to a chronic progressive neurological disease. She has a history of osteoarthritis
and hypertension and was newly diagnosed with metastatic gastric cancer. She sold her home and moved to another state to be closer to her children, but she misses her many close friends. What makes her at risk for spiritual distress? Select all that apply.
a. Metastatic cancer
b. Age 77
c. Moving far away from family and friends
d. Loss of a spouse
e. Chronic conditions: hypertension and arthritis
ANS: A, C, D
Conditions that most predispose an individual to spiritual distress include those that are life threatening, such as a terminal illness, loss of interpersonal support, and those that affect the ability to participate in spiritual rituals. Metastatic cancer is a life-threatening illness and moving to another state and loss of husband result in the loss of interpersonal support. Spir-itual distress is not directly associated with a specific age; that is, it is not true that the older a person is, the more spiritual distress she feels. Chronic conditions are usually not associated with spiritual distress unless they affect the ability to participate in spiritual rituals, which is not indicated in this scenario.
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