Objectives To determine the relationship between empathy and emotional intelligence among Iranian nursing students. Methods This is a cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study that was conducted on three hundred and twenty eligible students, selected using stratified random sampling. Participants were mainly nursing students at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Data gathering was done using The Jefferson Scale of Empathy and The Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Results The results showed a strong positive correlation between empathy and emotional intelligence (r=0.499, p <.001). Students in their fourth year had the highest score for empathy (M=109.16, SD=10.16), while first-year students had the highest scores for emotional intelligence (M= 151.68, SD= 17.47). Female students got higher empathy scores than male students (t (318) = 2.524, p= .012). Age had a strong inverse correlation with emotional intelligence (r= 0.143, p= .010). Conclusions The results of this study show a correlation between emotional intelligence and empathy among nursing students. Nurses with higher emotional intelligence tend to be better in establishing productive relationships with patients and their families, and if nurses possess empathetic skills, they manage their emotions more effectively. In addition to imparting knowledge and clinical experience, nursing curricula should provide students with opportunities to develop their communication and emotional skills.

One factor that protects an individual from risky behavior is religiosity, which is referred to as a shield against risky behaviors. Belief in God and religion plays an important role in young people's lives, and in comparison with their non-religious peers. They engage less frequently in risky behaviors, such as violence and sexual relations. The present study investigated the relationship between religiosity and engagement in risky behaviors among students from the Pishva branch of the Islamic Azad University, Tehran Province in Iran. This is a descriptive, analytic cross-sectional study. The sample was comprised of 448 students from different degree majors attending the University. Participants completed two questionnaires, including the Risk-Taking Scale and Duke University Religion Index. The data analyses used one-way ANOVAs and Pearson's correlations. This study found that students who engaged more often in organized religious activities and had higher intrinsic religiosity were less likely to engage in risky behaviors such as sexual risk taking, careless driving, violence, smoking, along with alcohol and drug abuse. Participants with higher involvement in private religious activities reported lower tendencies for the above-mentioned risky behaviors, except sexual risk taking. The findings of this study indicate that the different dimensions of religiousness are related to students' tendency to avoid risky behavior. Thus, it appears that religion may have a role to play in preventing risky taking behavior in Iran.

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