SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING QUESTIONNAIRE

Abstract

The Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire (SWB) is a comprehensive, multidimensional assessment tool designed to evaluate religiosity in terms of spiritual growth and maturity from a wholistic perspective. Developed by David O. Moberg, the instrument is conceptually grounded in four fundamental relationships that define spiritual well-being: the individual’s relationship with God, self, community, and the environment.

The instrument, initially consisting of 82 items, was constructed following a survey study instituted by Moberg to gather foundational data. It integrates various item formats, including a 6-point Likert scale, matrix questions, and multiple-choice items across four major parts. The questionnaire assesses a broad range of related concepts, such as social attitudes, self-perceptions, theological orientation, religious beliefs, affiliations, and various charitable endeavors. Moberg clarified that while the four parts serve as indicators or reflectors of spiritual well-being, they are not necessarily direct measures of the overarching construct itself (Moberg, personal communication, January 5, 1995).

Keywords

Spiritual Well-Being, Religiosity, Spiritual Growth, Psychological Scale, Existential Well-Being, Religious Beliefs, Church Growth, Social Attitudes, Personal Piety

Authors

David O. Moberg

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire (SWB) is to provide a robust, multidimensional measure for assessing spiritual variables in research and organizational contexts. Moberg developed the instrument to address several specific requirements within the field of religious and psychological research:

1. A need for an instrument in evaluation research suitable for planning activities and monitoring progress within religious groups and organizations (Moberg, 1980).
2. A concern for quantifying the vital signs indicative of a healthy church or religious organization (Wagner, 1976).
3. A means for addressing complex issues related to patterns of church growth and decline (Kelley, 1977; Hoge & Roozen, 1979).
4. An interest in empirically evaluating the intensity or depth of faith among individuals (Wagner & Johnson, 1977).

Construct

The SWB is designed to measure Spiritual Well-Being as a holistic construct defined by the quality of the individual’s relationships in four key domains: God, self, community, and the environment. The comprehensive nature of the scale allows for the assessment of numerous sub-constructs related to religious maturity and spiritual functioning.

Moberg (1984) delineated 13 distinct scales and indices within the questionnaire, reflecting the complex, multi-faceted nature of the construct. The strongest indices statistically, which collectively provide a robust measure of spiritual well-being, include the Christian Faith Index, the Self-Satisfaction Index, the Personal Piety Index, and the Subjective Spiritual Well-Being Index. Conversely, the indexes related to Optimism, Religious Cynicism, and Elitism were found to be statistically weak, with the author recommending their exclusion in shorter forms of the instrument.

Validity

Evidence for the validity of the SWB instrument was established through convergent analyses with the Spiritual Well-Being measure developed by Paloutzian and Ellison (1982), which consists of the Existential Well-Being Scale and the Religious Well-Being Scale. The two measures demonstrated strong correspondence, suggesting that the SWB effectively taps into similar domains of spiritual experience.

Specific correlations demonstrate this convergence: the Existential Well-Being portion of the Paloutzian and Ellison measure showed a strong correlation coefficient of 0.73 with Moberg’s Self-Satisfaction Index. Furthermore, the Religious Well-Being Scale correlated highly with several key Moberg indices: 0.86 with the Christian Faith Index, 0.70 with the Personal Piety Index, 0.63 with the Subjective Social Well-Being Index, and 0.63 with the Religious Involvement Index.

Reliability

Measures of reliability, such as internal consistency (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha) or test-retest reliability, were not reported in the original Moberg (1984) article detailing the subjective measures of spiritual well-being.

Factor Analysis

The Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire is structured around 13 empirically derived scales and indices identified by Moberg (1984), which reflect different facets of the spiritual construct. These indices draw items from the four major parts of the questionnaire. The indices are:

• Existential Well-Being Scale (from Ellison & Paloutzian, 1982): Part I: 5, 6, 12, 15, 17, 25, 27, 29, 32, 34
• Religious Well-Being Scale (from Ellison & Paloutzian, 1982): Part I: 4, 6, 8, 14, 16, 18, 26, 28, 31, 33
• Internal Well-Being Scale (from Farmham, 1979): Part III: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
• Christian Faith Index: Part I: 19, 20, 21, 24, 35, 47, 49; Part IV: 15
• Self Satisfaction Index: Part I: 1, 3, 13, 22, 46
• Personal Piety Index: Part IV: 9, 10, 11, 13, 14
• Subjective Spiritual Well-Being Index: Part I: 36, 37, 38, 39
• Optimism Index: Part I: 2, 9, 23, 40
• Religious Cynicism Index: Part I: 41, 42, 44
• Elitism Index: Part I: 30, 43
• Political Involvement Index: Part II: 51, 54, 55, 56, 57
• Religious Involvement Index: Part II: 52, 58, 59, 60, 61
• Charitable Involvement Index: Part II: 53, 62, 63, 65, 66

Theoretically, a shortened measure of spiritual well-being could be constructed solely using the items comprising the four strongest indices: Christian Faith, Self-Satisfaction, Personal Piety, and Subjective Spiritual Well-Being. The weakest indices (Optimism, Religious Cynicism, and Elitism) are suggested by the author for potential exclusion due to statistical limitations.

Instrument

Test Type: Multidimensional Self-Report Questionnaire (Psychological/Religious Scale)

Format: 82 items total, presented across four major parts, utilizing a combination of 6-point Likert scale statements, matrix questions, multiple-choice questions, and demographic/self-identifying information.

Language Available: English (Original sample included English and Swedish respondents)

Population Group: General population, studied extensively in religious groups, older adults, and clinical populations.

Age Group: Adults (Sample included older adults, but appropriate for general adult population).

Population Details: The original standardization sample included 761 respondents across 17 group settings in three regions of the United States, and 320 respondents across 15 groups from major regions of Sweden, selected for diverse representation. Means and standard deviations were not reported for this initial data set.

Test Methodology: Can be administered in private or group settings (e.g., classes, clubs, senior citizen forums, or church gatherings). Completion time is approximately 30 to 60 minutes. Due to its length, it may be impractical for subjects prone to fatigue or impatience with lengthy assessments.

Keywords

Spiritual Assessment, D. O. Moberg, Psychometrics, Religious Faith, Quality of Life, Measurement Index, Personal Piety

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source.

Correspondence Address: Directions for administration, scoring, and interpretation are addressed specifically in Moberg’s (1984) article.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was published in 1984. Information regarding current permissions and fees is not provided in the source material. Note that further resources for research using this scale in healthcare settings can be found via the Proceedings of the Spiritual Well-Being Conference, Program for Continuing Education in Nursing, Marquette University, 510 N. 16th St., Milwaukee, WI 53233.

Reference’s

Hoge, D. R., & Roozen, D. A. (1979). Understanding church growth and decline: New York: Pilgrim Press.

Kelley, D. M. (1977). Why conservative churches are growing. New York: Harper & Row.

Koenig, H. G., Moberg, D. 0., & Kvale, J. N. (1988). Religious activities and attitudes of older adults in a geriatric assessment clinic. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 36, 362-374.

Mickley, J. R., Soeken, K., & Belcher, A. (1992). Spiritual well-being, religiousness and hope among women with breast cancer. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 24, 267-272.

Moberg, D. 0. (1980). Social indicators of spiritual well-being. In J. A. Thorsen & T. C. Cook, Jr. (Eds.). Spiritual well-being of the elderly (pp. 20-37). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.

Moberg, D. 0. (1984). Subjective measures of spiritual well-being. Review of Religious Research, 25, 351-359.

Paloutzian, R. F., & Ellison, C. W. (1982). Spiritual well-being and quality of life. In L. A. Peplau & D. Perlman (Eds.), Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research, and therapy. New York: Wiley Interscience.

Reed, P. G. (1986). Religiousness among terminally ill and healthy adults. Research in Nursing & Health, 9, 35-41.

Reed, P. G. (1992). An emerging paradigm for the investigation of spirituality in nursing. Research in Nursing & Health, 15, 349-357.

Wagner, P. C. (1976). Your church can grow: Seven vital signs of a healthy church. Los Angeles: Regal Books.

Wagner, P. C., & Johnson, A. (1977). Intensity of belief: A pragmatic concern for church growth. Christianity Today, 2 I, 372-382.

Walton, C. G., Shultz, C. M., Beck, C. M., & Walls, R. C. (1991). Psychological correlates of loneliness in the older adult. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 5, 165-170.

Items of the SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING QUESTIONNAIRE

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. BELIEFS AND ATTITUDES Circle the answer for each item that is closest to your own personal opinion or belief. (If you wish, you may add comments to explain your answers.)

SA = I strongly agree. A = I agree.

TA = I tend to agree.

TD = I tend to disagree.

D = I disagree.

SD = I strongly disagree.

2. SOCIAL ACTIVITIES Please check each of the following that you have done during the past 12 months.
   1. Contributed money to a political cause or campaign.
   2. Contributed money to a church or other religious organization.
   3. Contributed money to a charity.
   4. Signed a petition to a government office or for a politician.
   5. Voted in an election.
   6. Tried to influence the way others vote.
   7. Supported human rights or other causes by attending a rally marching, distributing leaflets, organizing, wearing a button, putting a bumper sticker on your car or other actions.
   8. Encouraged someone to accept your religious beliefs.
   9. Taught in a church school, synagogue, Sunday school or vacation Bible school.
   10. Held office or served on a committee in a church, synagogue, or other religious organization;
   11. Prayed for other people or for problems in the world.
   12. Donated food, clothing, or other things to a community project to help needy people.
   13. Donated your services to the Scouts, a service club, or some other community program to help people.
   14. Helped a family member or close relative when he or she was in trouble.
   15. Visited a sick or shut-in person who is not a family member.
   16. Helped a disabled or elderly person who is not a family member.

3. FEELINGS (Use these pairs of words to describe how you feel about your life at the present time.)

If your life now is very closely related to one of the words, check the space next to it under the l or 7.

If your life is quite closely related, check the space under 2 or 6.

If your life is only slightly related, check the space under 3 or 5.

If your life seems either unrelated or equally related to both words, check the middle space under the 4.

It is important to check only one space on each line.

2 3 4 5 6 7

1. Boring
   1. Rewarding
   2. Hopeless
   3. Many friends

Interesting* Disappointing Hopeful* Lonely

4. Filled with guilt
5. Filled with worry
6. Useless
7. Brings out

the best in me

Free from guilt*

Free from worry•

Meaningful*

Brings out the worst in me

4. RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES AND IDENTITY Check the answer to each item that best indicates your own characteristics.
   1. How often do you usually attend religious services in a church or synagogue? Twice or more each week _ ; Once a week _ ; Once or more each month _ ; Several times a year_; Once a year or less_; Never_.
   2. How often do you attend or take part in other religious activities, such as Bible stu­ dies, prayer groups, religious discussions, etc.? Twice or more each week _ ; Once a week _ ; Once or more each month _ ; Several times a year _ ; Once a year or less _ ; Never_.
   3. How often do you read the Bible or other devotional literature? Every day _ ; Several times each week _; At least once a week _ ; Occasionally _ ; Rarely _ ; Never
   4. How often do you tune in to religious programs on radio or television? Every day _; Several times each week_; At least once a week_ ; Occasionally_; Rarely_ ; Never
   5. How often do you pray privately? Several times each day_; Daily _, Several times each week_; Occasionally _ ; Only when I have a crisis or emergency _ ; Never
   6. How often do you meditate? Several times each day_; Daily_; Several times each week_ ; Occasionally_ ; Only when I have a crisis or emergency _ ; Never_ .
   7. How important to you are your religious beliefs? Extremely important _; Very im­ portant_; Fairly important_; Somewhat unimportant _; Fairly unimportant

_ ; Not at all important_ .

8. Compared to ten years ago, is your spiritual well-being now: Very much better_; Much better _; Somewhat better _ ; About the same _ ; Somewhat worse _ ; Much worse_; Very much worse_ .
9. Have you been “born again” or had a “born again” experience-that is, a turning point in your life when you committed yourself to Jesus Christ? Yes_; No_. If yes, is it still important to you? Yes_; No_.
10. Are you now, or have ever been, a member of a church or synagogue? Yes, I am an ac­ tive member now_; Yes, but I am an inactive member now _; No, but I was a member_; No, and I never was a member_.
11. Is your church membership identity the same as that of your parents? Same as both_; Same as mother’s but not father’s_; Same as father’s but not mother’s_; Different from both
12. What is your religious preference? Protestant _; Catholic _; Jewish _; Eastern Orthodox_; None_; Other (what?)_

13. If Protestant, what denomination do you prefer? Baptist _ ; Episcopal _ ; Luth­ eran _ ; Methodist _ ; Pentecostal or Holiness _ ; Presbyterian or Reformed _ ; United Church of Christ_; Other (what?)_
14. Which theological position is closest to your own? Atheist_; Agnostic or skeptic_; Jewish _; Charismatic Christian _; Evangelical Christian _; Fundamentalist Christian _; Liberal Christian _; Neo-Orthodox Christian_; Other (what?)

5. PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
6. Is your health: Excellent_; Good_; Fair_; Poor_?
7. What is the highest level of education you have completed? 8 grades or less_; Some high school _ ; High school graduate _ ; 1 to 3 years of college_ ; College gradu- ate_; Master’s degree_; Doctoral degree_; Other (what?)_
8. What is your primary occupation? (Check only one) Student_; Homemaker_; Ser­ vice worker_; Skilled crafts_; Laborer_; Secretarial, clerical, or sales_; Pro- fessional or managerial_; Retired_; Other (what?}_
9. What is your race? Black_; White_; Hispanic_; East Asian_; Native Ameri- can_; Other (what?)_

1. Are you: Female_ ; or Male_ ?

28. What is your age? 18 or less_; 19-24 _; 25-34 _; 35-44 _; 45-54 _; 55-64_; 65-74 _; 75 or over_.

* Reverse Scored.

Scoring Instructions

Part I: SA= 1

A= 2 TA= 3 TD = 4 D = 5 SD= 6

(except items 4, 5, 8, 12, 16, 25, 26, 29, 32, 46 which are reverse scored).

Part II: Items left blank are coded “1.” Items checked are coded “O.”

Part III: Code by the sequential numbers by the blanks (except items 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 which are reverse scored).

Part IV: Items 9-16: Each blank is represented sequentially in order by I, 2, … 6, and for item 22 a 7.

Item 17: Yes and Yes (still important) = 1 Yes and No (not important)= 2 No (on 1st part) = 3

No and Yes= 4

Items 18-28 Codes are sequentially number in order of the response categories.