The relationship between spiritual well-being and happiness among healthcare students: Application of the spiritual health questionnaire for the Iranian population

The Relationship between Daily Spiritual Experiences and the Dimensions of Spiritual Care Competence in Nursing Students: The Dimension of Professionalization and Improvement of the Quality of Spiritual Care

Background

Daily spiritual experiences and spiritual care competence have positive health effects on patients and form an integral part of the nursing profession. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between daily spiritual experiences and the dimensions of spiritual care competence in nursing students.

Materials and Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 401 nursing students in their last year of the program. The participants were selected from nursing schools in Tehran Province, Iran, in the academic year 2019-2020. The required data were extracted using a demographic information questionnaire, the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale (DSES), and the Spiritual Care Competence Scale (SCCS). The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software at the significance level of 0.05.

Results

The mean (SD) of daily spiritual experiences and total spiritual care competence was 67.15 (16.33) and 101.77 (16.26), respectively. The personal support and patient counseling dimensions had the highest mean (SD) [22.10) 4.80)]. Among all these dimensions of spiritual care competence, only professionalization and improvement of the quality of spiritual care were predictors of the students' daily spiritual experiences (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

The professionalization dimension of spiritual care competence was identified as a predictor of daily spiritual experience in nursing students. Therefore, the researchers recommend the highlighting of this dimension in nursing programs to promote the students' spiritual care competence.

Investigation of the effect of the life satisfaction and psychological well-being of nursing students on their happiness levels

PURPOSE

This study aims to examine the effect of nursing students' life satisfaction and psychological well-being on their perceived happiness levels.

METHOD

The study, which was designed as a descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out in Turkey with 264 students of nursing.

FINDINGS

Students' life satisfaction and happiness (r = 0.722), psychological well-being and happiness (r = 0.743), and psychological well-being and life satisfaction (r = 0.689) were found to be positively and highly correlated. Students' gender and perception of income status and general health status affected their happiness levels. It was revealed that life satisfaction and psychological well-being predict happiness (63.6%).

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The factors of life satisfaction and psychological well-being play a decisive role in the happiness of nursing students.

Effects of positive psychology interventions on happiness in women with unintended pregnancy: randomized controlled trial

Background

Undesirable effects Negative feelings among women with unintended pregnancies may have undesirable effects on pregnancy. However, little is known about the effect of positive feelings and protective factors on prenatal mental health of pregnant women. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of positive psychology-based interventions (PPI) on the happiness of women with unintended pregnancies.

Methods

This randomized controlled trial that included 40 women with unintended pregnancies was conducted between March and July 2017. The subjects were randomly assigned to receive 10 weekly training sessions based on positive psychology (PPI) (N = 20) or routine prenatal care (N = 20). All subjects received usual prenatal care. The level of happiness and its five domains were measured in three time points: at baseline, immediately after completing the intervention, and 45 days after the end of the intervention. The happiness was assessed using the Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI).

Results

In the intervention group, the mean total OHI score increased from 31.3 (at baseline) to 42.5 (after completing ten sessions of PPI), and the increase remained statistically significant at a 45-day follow-up (39.8); P = 0.001. However, the total OHI score did not change significantly during the follow-up (P = 0.339). Satisfaction with life, self-esteem, and subjective well-being improved significantly after the interventions, whereas the increases observed in the scores of positive mood and self-efficacy dimensions were not significant.

Conclusion

PPIs can improve happiness and its dimensions among women with unintended pregnancies. It is suggested that healthcare planners help women with unplanned pregnancies adapt by formulating strategies to hold training courses with a positive psychology approach and recognize and promote their positive aspects and strengths.

Spiritual Well-Being among Medical and Nonmedical Science Students

Spiritual well-being is one dimension of health that provides a person with stability, meaning, fulfillment in life, and self-belief. This study aimed to compare the spiritual well-being among students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences and the Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman. With the demographic questionnaire and 20-item spiritual well-being scale of the "Paloutzian and Ellison" questionnaire, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 626 students of the universities of medical and nonmedical sciences by the quota sampling method in Kerman in 2017-2018. The scores of spiritual well-being and its two components were significantly higher in nonmedical science students (89.83 ± 16.79) than in the medical science students (81.61 ± 15.21) (p < 0.05). In addition, one percent of the nonmedical science students had a low level, 67.7% had a moderate level, and 31.3% had a high level of spiritual well-being. 0.3% of the medical science students had a low level, 84% had a moderate level, and 15.7% had a high level of spiritual well-being. Since spirituality is important for the profession of medical science students, it may be necessary to expand this component in their curriculum.