Prediction of the Dimensions of the Spiritual Well-Being of Students at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Iran: The Roles of Demographic Variables

Abstract

Introduction: Spiritual well-being is one of the aspects of wellbeing which organize the physical, psychological, and social aspects. Given the outstanding and unique roles of students in society, providing spiritual well-being as well as identifying and eliminating the negative factors affecting their mental wellbeing are of the essence. Aim:The present study aimed to predict the dimensions of the spiritual well-being of students at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences and to investigate the roles of demographic variables in this respect. Materials and Methods:In this descriptive and correlational study, the statistical population was comprised of 346 doctoral students in the for-profit Schools of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceuticals in Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2016. For data collection, an instrument comprising the demographic questions and the 20-item spiritual well-being scale by Paloutzian and Ellison (1982) was utilized. To analyze data, the descriptive (frequency distribution, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and chi-squared test) were employed in the SPSS Statistics Software Version 21.0. Results:The results of the present study demonstrated that the spiritual well-being of students was average (71.86±4.84), and of all demographic variables under study, only the variable of gender significantly correlated with the mean score of spiritual well-being. Also, the results revealed that the students' score of religious well-being measured higher than that of their existential well-being. However, a significant correlation was found between spiritual well-being and its dimensions. Also, the religious and existential well-being were found to be significantly related (p<0.05). Conclusion:The results of the present study showed the significance of addressing the issue of spirituality among the students of the for-profit Schools at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences. Therefore, it is recommended that appropriate plans be laid by the culture and education policy makers to promote the spiritual well-being of university students. INTRODUCTIONThe spiritual well-being is considered one of the major dimensions of well-being in human beings [1]. As defined by Shabani the spiritual well-being is one's ability to establish coordinated and harmonious relationships with God, oneself and others, as well as changing and adjusting one's personal and social environment and resolving one's personal and collective inclinations fairly, moderately and in a balanced manner [2]. The incorporation of spiritual well-being in the concept of well-being was suggested by Osman JD and Russell RD, which familiarized the experts in well-being with one of the major aspects of personal and group life [3]. In fact, the spiritual wellbeing, alongside other well-being aspects, is the latest dimension of well-being which coordinates the physical, psychological and social aspects [4]. The spiritual well-being is made up of two aspects: religious and...

Doctoral students’ well-being: a literature review

“…Herrmann and Wichmann-Hansen (2017)Validation of the quality in PhD processes questionnaireDenmark1670 PhD studentsQuantitative15. Ziapour et al (2017)Prediction of the dimensions of the spiritual well-being of students at Kermanshah University of medical sciences, Iran: the roles of demographic variablesIran346 PhD studentsQuantitative16. Zahniser, E., Rupert, P.A., & Dorociak, K.E.…”

“…Quantitative data was analyzed by applying descriptive or comparative statistical methods (Herrmann & Wichmann-Hansen, 2017; Pychyl & Little, 1998; Pyhältö & Keskinen, 2012; Stubb et al, 2011, 2012) as well as variance analysis such as ANOVA (Hunter & Devine, 2016; Juniper et al, 2012; Stubb et al, 2012; Ziapour, Khatony, Jafari, & Kianipour, 2017), correlation (Pychyl & Little, 1998; Stubb et al, 2012), and regression (Hunter & Devine, 2016; Pychyl & Little, 1998). …”

“…For example, Ziapour et al (Paloutzian & Park, 2015; Ziapour et al, 2017) view existential well-being as being part of spiritual well-being, which emphasizes the sense of life purpose and life satisfaction (Ellison, 1983). Yet the same term is given another meaning by others (Dahlberg, Todres, & Galvin, 2009; Todres & Galvin, 2010).…”

Data for professional socialization and professional commitment of nursing students — A case study: Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Iran

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