The Relationship between Nursing Students’ Spiritual Intelligence and their General Health in Tehran, 2012

Introduction: Nursing students are encountered with a wide range of health-related problems. On the other hand, the role of spiritual intelligence as a new approach in mental health, physical health, and efficient social partnership is considered to be very important. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between spiritual intelligence and general health among nursing students within year 2012 in Tehran. Methods: This descriptive correlation study included 320 B.S. nursing students studying in different universities of Tehran that were selected through Morgan Formula. Data was collected using questionnaire for demographic data, Abdollazadeh’s spiritual intelligence questionnaire, and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Data was analyzed using independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, correlation coefficient, and linear regression. Results: There was a significant positive relationship between spiritual intelligence and general health (P<0.005). Among demographic characteristics (age, gender, marital status, habitats, and educational year) only average grade showed a significant relationship with spiritual intelligence (P<0.016) and general health (P<0.025). Conclusion: Higher spiritual intelligence was associated with more general health of nursing students. It seems that promotion of spiritual intelligence increases mental health and physical health of nursing students and thus improves the quality of medical care to patients.