Relationship between Religious Attitude and Patience in Nursing and Midwifery Students in Shiraz, Iran, in 2015

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Medical students experience various stressors during their academic education. Despite the positive role of two factors of religious attitude and patience on students' mental health, there is a dearth of studies on the relationship between religious attitudes and patience in nursing and midwifery students. Therefore, to promote students' mental health in the face of existing stressors related to education and presence in clinical environments, the present study aimed to assess the relationship between religious attitudes and patience in nursing and midwifery students.Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 139 nursing and midwifery students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2015. The participants were selected via simple random sampling. Data collection tools included demographic characteristics form, Evans Patience Questionnaire, and Religion Attitude scale-Review. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 22) using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and Pearson correlation coefficient.Results: As evidenced by the obtained results, the mean scores of religious attitude and patience were obtained at 97.21±15.5 and 45.94±8.99, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of religious attitude and patience based on demographic characteristics of age, gender, the field of study, and marital status (P>0.05). According to the Pearson correlation test, there was a significant relationship between the two variables of religious attitude and patience (r=-0.343; P= 0.0001). Conclusion:The results of the present study suggested that students with higher levels of religious attitude showed greater patience. Therefore, the promotion of students' religious attitudes may lead to their greater patience in patient care, which in turn, brings substantial benefits to patients, families, and even the organization.