Spiritual Intelligence and Spiritual Wellbeing in the Students of a Nursing College

Abstract

Background & Aims: Spiritual healthcare team members, especially nurses, play a key role in providing holistic care. Spiritual wellbeing in students is essential to identifying the spiritual needs of patients and their spiritual support. Characteristics such as spiritual intelligence influence the attitude of individuals toward spiritual matters, as well as their spiritual wellbeing. The present study aimed to determine the association between spiritual intelligence and spiritual wellbeing in nursing students. Materials & Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 178 students in Borujen Nursing College, Iran in 2015. Participants were selected via census sampling. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, spiritual intelligence questionnaire (Badi et al.), and spiritual wellbeing scale (Paloutzian and Ellison). Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 16 using descriptive and analytical statistics. Results: A positive, significant correlation was observed between the spiritual intelligence and spiritual wellbeing of the students (r=0.7; P≤0.001). According to the regression analysis, spiritual intelligence could predict spiritual wellbeing (r2=0.54; P≤0.001). Mean total spiritual intelligence in the students was 3.63±0.3 (range: 1-5), and mean total spiritual wellbeing was 4.3±0.6 (range: 1-6). No significant correlations were observed between spiritual intelligence and spiritual wellbeing with demographic variables (P≥0.05). Conclusion: According to the results, spiritual intelligence results in the spiritual wellbeing of students. Moreover, spiritual intelligence could predict the improvement of spiritual wellbeing. Therefore, it is recommended that educational managers consider the role of spiritual intelligence in spiritual wellbeing and periodically review and improve these variables in students through proper planning.