Relationship between Religious Attitude and Prosocial Behavior Considering the Mediating Role of Empathy and Altruism in Nursing and Medical Students

Background and purpose: Prosocial behavior can offer clinical, psychological, and biological applications to improve the health of patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of religious attitude on prosocial behavior considering the mediating roles of empathy and altruism in nursing and medical students. Materials and methods: A descriptive-correlational study was performed in 2018-2019 academic year. The research population included all nursing and medical students in Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. Participants were 361 students selected via convenient sampling. The Prosocial Tendencies Measure, Allport religious orientation, Self-Report Altruism Scale (SRA), and Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) were administered. Data analysis was done using Pearson Correlation Coefficient and structural equation modeling in AMOS. Results: According to the findings, religious orientation, altruism and empathy were significantly correlated with prosocial behavior (P<0.01). Also, the final model has a good fitness. Religious orientation was found to have direct positive effect on prosocial behavior, altruism and empathy. Empathy and altruism had a mediating role between religious orientation and prosocial behavior. Conclusion: Based on the role of religious orientation, altruism and empathy in predicting prosocial behavior, this model can be used in interventions to promote prosocial behavior in nurses and doctors.