Abstract
Background: Assessment of healthcare students’ mental health problems is an important aspect of health promotion. This study examined the roles of moral intelligence (MI) and identity styles in prediction of mental health problems in healthcare students. Methods: In a correlation study, two hundred healthcare students (100 girls, 100 boys) of Medicine, Density, and Paramedicine Colleges of Bobol University of Medical Sciences were selected. The subjects filled out three questionnaires; General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Moral Competency Inventory (MCI), and Identity Style Inventory (ISI), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Pearson correlation, multivariate analysis variance model (MANOVA), and multivariate regression used to analyze the data. Results: Boys and girls did not have a meaningful difference in the mean of total GHQ, MCI, normative and informational identity. Girls had significantly higher mean level of diffused-avoidant identity than boys. There was a positive and significant relationship between moral intelligence, normative identity and mental health problems of students. Also, there was a negative relationship (p < 0.05) between diffused-avoidant identity and mental health problems of students. Moral intelligence, informational and normative identity predicted 25.8% of the variance in mental health problems for girls’ students. Normative and diffused-avoidant identity predicted 21.6% of the variance in mental health problems for girls’ students. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that moral intelligence and identity status contributed to the mental health problems of healthcare students. University administrators should adopt strategies that strengthen the moral intelligence and identity maturity associated with university students’ mental health.
Highlights
Mental health is defined as an individual’s state of well-being when he realizes his abilities, has the ability to cope with the normal stresses of life, able to work productively and fruitfully and can contribute to his community [1]
This study showed that there was no difference between girls and boys of healthcare students in moral intelligence, identity status, and mental health problems
Some researches indicated that MI was highly associated with leadership effectiveness [30] [31], no published research reported the relationship of moral intelligence and mental
Summary
Mental health is defined as an individual’s state of well-being when he realizes his abilities, has the ability to cope with the normal stresses of life, able to work productively and fruitfully and can contribute to his community [1]. A review of literature on the subject reveals that information regarding mental health problems and moral intelligence is not available. This study examined the roles of moral intelligence (MI) and identity styles in prediction of mental health problems in healthcare students. There was a positive and significant relationship between moral intelligence, normative identity and mental health problems of students. There was a negative relationship (p < 0.05) between diffused-avoidant identity and mental health problems of students. Informational and normative identity predicted 25.8% of the variance in mental health problems for girls’ students. Normative and diffused-avoidant identity predicted 21.6% of the variance in mental health problems for girls’ students. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that moral intelligence and identity status contributed to the mental health problems of health-
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