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

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between spiritual well-being (SWB) and happiness in a sample of Iranian healthcare students, considering a culturally-adapted and a context-based measure of SWB. Methods: In this descriptive-correlational study, 343 Muslim students of Qom University of Medical Science are studied from October 2017 to March 2018. Data collection tools were the culturally-adapted spiritual well-being scale (SWBS), the spiritual health questionnaire for the Iranian population (SHQ), and the Persian version of Oxford happiness inventory (OHI). Results: Total scores of SWBS, SHQ, and OHI were in moderate (68.42 ± 12.76), high (193.74 ± 24.26), and moderate (37.95 ± 14.56) levels, respectively. Happiness had a significant positive correlation with all domains of SWBS and SHQ. Moreover, a significant proportion of happiness was determined by SWBS and SHQ. Also, some domains of SWBS and SHQ showed a significant correlation with age, gender, marital status, and academic major. Conclusion: There was a significant correlation between happiness and SWB, measured by SWBS and SHQ. Hence, it seems that both SWBS and SHQ are sufficiently sensitive to assess the relationship between happiness and SWB.

Keywords

• Happiness
• Iran
• Islam
• Spirituality
• Students
• Well-being