Health, Spirituality and Medical Ethics
Year:2018 | Volume:5 | Issue:2|Papers Count:8

Background and Objectives: Death and life after death are undoubtedly one of the most important issues in all divine religions. Death is perceived as a threat by many people because of its highly ambiguous significance. Anxiety and fear of death are common among all cultures. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of spiritual intelligence and mindfulness in predicting death anxiety in the students of Zahedan Faculty of Nursing. Methods: In this descriptive-correlational study, the study population consisted of all students of Nursing Faculty of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2017-2018. In order to collect data, a sample of 260 people was selected based on Morgan’ s table using stratified random sampling. The instruments used to collect data were the Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory developed by King (2008), the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale developed by Brown and Ryan (2003), and the Death Anxiety Scale developed by Templers and Ruff (1971). For data analysis, descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation, and also multivariate regression analysis in the SPSS version 21 were used, and P<0. 05 was considered significance level. Results: The results showed that correlation coefficients of spiritual intelligence and all its components (r=-0. 623, P<0. 001), and mindfulness (r=-0. 649, P<0. 001) with death anxiety were negative and significant (P<0. 001). In addition, the components of spiritual intelligence and mindfulness negatively predicted death anxiety. Conclusion: The results indicate the importance of spiritual intelligence and mindfulness in reducing death anxiety; therefore, it represents new horizons in clinical interventions and can be used as an effective intervention.

Background and Objectives: Neglect of God may cause adverse emotions, unhealthy lifestyle, and high-risk behaviors. Such a spiritual vacuum, damages the bio-psycho-socio-spiritual health of individuals. Study was conducted to design and validate the spiritual health consulting model for health promotion in clients. Methods: In this qualitative study, universal models of nursing care, prominent models of health training, and theories of motivation were content analyzed. Considering the constructs of spiritual care model of Sound Heart, after adopt appropriate themes and clinically use of prominent models, spiritual health consulting model was developed using the three-step theory synthesis of Walker and Avant. Results: Sensitizing and informing clients of consequences of unhealthy lifestyle, high-risk behaviors, and adverse emotions, with a sense of perceived threat, motivate clients to modify themselves. The modification of four spiritual relationships (with the nature, people, himself, God), besides the use of subjective norms, result in the behavioral intention, making clients determined to modify their behaviors. Family’ s cooperation, spiritual advisers’ behavior as a role model, and self-control training can facilitate the implementation of the consulting by creating a sense of self-efficacy and increasing client’ s self-esteem. Conclusion: Failure to pay attention to the lack of spirituality may threaten psycho-socio-spiritual health of clients and cause social crises. Spiritual advisers are required to maintain and promote the spiritual health in clients based on a community oriented and holistic model.

Background and Objectives: Family is the most sacred institution in the religion of Islam, and women’ s health is the keystone of family and society’ s health. Therefore, addressing all aspects of women’ s health, including sexual health, contributes to strengthening the foundation of the family. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between religious beliefs and sexual health in women. . Methods: This study was conducted on 383 married women aged less than 50 years residing in Qom, Iran, during 2016-2017. Sampling was carried out using the cluster sampling method, and data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire, whose face validity and reliability were confirmed based on the opinions of experts and estimation of Cronbach’ s alpha, respectively. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson’ s correlation and linear regression model) in SPSS. Results: We observed a significant positive correlation between sexual health and religious beliefs. Moreover, our results demonstrated that religious beliefs could predict sexual health, such that 27% of the changes in sexual health were predicted by religious beliefs. Conclusion: According to the results, sexual relationship with the spouse is deemed as a divine and sacred blessing based on the religion and religious beliefs, resulting in a higher level of sexual health.

Background and Objectives: The increased incidence of leukemia is one of the problems facing modern medicine. People with a diagnosis of cancer need to remain hopeful during the process of treatment and diagnosis of cancer sometimes leads to posttraumatic growth. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of daily spiritual experiences in the hope and posttraumatic growth among patients with leukemia. Methods: To conduct this descriptive-correlational study, 70 patients with leukemia in Zahedan were selected by convenience sampling in 2015. The instruments used in this study were the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale (DSES), the Hope Scale, and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. To analyze the relationship between variables and predict changes in hope and posttraumatic growth, correlation and stepwise regression analysis were used. Results: Total score on the DSES and scores on its three subscales were directly and significantly correlated with hope and posttraumatic growth, and only the total score on the DSES could predict hope. The total score on the DSES and the subscale feeling of responsibility for others could predict posttraumatic growth. Conclusion: From the results, it can be deduced that daily spiritual experiences are effective on the hope and posttraumatic growth in patients with leukemia.

Background and Objectives: Epilepsy causes permanent stress due to its chronic nature. Consequently, it is necessary for mothers who have child with epilepsy to know anti-stress strategies and its related factors. Spiritual attitude is regarded as one of strategies to cope with stress. For this reason, this study was aimed to study the relation between spiritual attitude and coping strategies for stress in mothers who have child with epilepsy in Kerman, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 100 mothers with children with epilepsy hospitalized in two hospitals of Kerman were studied. Data collection was performed using a two-section questionnaire (Religious Attitude Questionnaire developed by Khodayarifard et al., and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations developed by Endler and Parker). Results: Mothers who had child with epilepsy have a high religious attitude. Results also revealed that mothers with stronger spiritual attitude (compared with those who had less spiritual beliefs and behaviors) were significantly more successful in adopting coping strategies for stress due to their child disease. In addition, findings showed that various subscales of spiritual attitude consisting of spiritual beliefs, spiritual affections, and spiritual behaviors were significantly correlated with coping strategies for stress in mothers who have a child with epilepsy. Conclusion: Results of this study, indicating that spiritual attitude in its mentioned dimensions, could reinforce those strategies in mothers who have a child with epilepsy. Furthermore, moral attitude could be effective and helpful for adaptation of mothers with their child epilepsy and decrease their stress.

Background and Objectives: Considering the importance of assessing and identifying effective factors on marital intimacy, this study was conducted to investigate the predictive role of religious attitude and family problem solving among women. Methods: This is a descriptive-correlational study in which 2860 women in Iran were selected by random cluster sampling and then assessed by Marital Intimacy Questionnaire, Family Problem Solving Questionnaire, and Religious Attitude Questionnaire (RAQ). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and stepwise multiple regression. Results: The results of Pearson correlation showed that there was a significant and positive correlation of marital intimacy and religious attitude with family problem solving. In addition, the results of stepwise regression indicated that religious attitude and family problem solving could predict 43% of variance in marital intimacy. Hence, religious attitude and family problem solving can contribute to creating marital intimacy. Conclusion: Marital intimacy plays a fundamental role in entering into successful marriage; therefore, with regard to marriage, it is necessary to pay more attention to these factors.

Background and Objectives: Extra-marital affairs as one of the covert social problems are among issues with a wide range of disastrous consequences for family and social institutions. Therefore, determining the factors associated with the tendency toward such relationships is of great importance. We aimed to study the tendency toward extra-marital affairs and some related factors among married students. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 250 students of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences was performed. The participants were chosen through the convenience sampling method. The data collection tools included the Religious Commitment Inventory-10 (Worthington et al. ), NEO Personality Inventory, inclination toward extra-marital affairs by Whatley, and the social reflexivity scale (Kharmour and Afrasiabi). To analyze the data, Pearson correlation coefficient, t-test, and multivariate regression were run. Results: We found a negative correlation between religious commitment and tendency toward extra-marital affairs (P=0. 000, r=-0. 37). However, the extent of modern media usage and social reflexivity and inclination toward extra-marital affairs were positively correlated (P=0. 000, r=0. 42). Moreover, extroversion, openness to experience, adaptability, and conscientiousness were negatively correlated with inclination toward extra-marital affairs. Finally, neuroticism was positively correlated with inclination toward extra-marital affairs (P=0. 001, r=0. 18). Conclusion: By promoting media literacy among students regarding the proper use of the modern media, as well as strengthening religious and indigenous values and traditions, the inclination of married students towards extra-marital affairs can be greatly reduced.

Background and Objectives: In the field of health and teachings of hygienics– medicine, a lot of traditions have been transmitted from the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and Imams (A. S) and valuable collections by the titles of Ţ ibb al-Nabī (PBUH) and Ţ ibb al-Ἀ emmah (A. S) have been provided. What authentic bases they are stand on scientifically, and how they should be dealt with if their concepts are opposed to updated science of medicine, are objectives of this research. Methods: This research is a review study through collecting data digitally, and from libraries and references related to Sunnite and Shiite works. Results: Different views to the position of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) created two different perspectives. The first is of Sunnites who believe the prophet’ s (p. b. u. h) status is not to interfere with worldly affairs and occupations including medicine. Therefore, what, in this regard, has been transmitted from His Holiness is His personal opinion, or acquired from the knowledge of the society of the time, and may be correct or not. However, Shiite scholars believe if a tradition proved biographically and contextually, to be issued irrevocably; it is considered as teachings of religion and there is no probable mistake in it. Conclusion: As Shiites believe, to accept, absolutely, the words and sayings issued by the Prophet (PBUH) of Allah is the result of absolute understanding of his clear proofs. Whereas if we believe in disjunction and accept that the Prophet’ s (PBUH) sayings on occupations including medicine are faulty and mistakable, we deprive humanity of the most important part of the city of knowledge (the Holy Prophet (PBUH)) and basically, defect the absolute holiness of his sayings; as Sunnites did so.