DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2017.v05i10.032

Pages: 3964-3969

Depression is a psychological problem that is known as the fourth cause of social disability. This disorder is a global concern, especially in college students, because in this stage people are under high pressure. The risk of depression incidence in medical students is more than other students. With respect to positive effects of spiritual health on different aspects of life, we examined the relationship between spiritual health and depression in nursing and midwifery students. This is a descriptive-correlational study performed on 78 nursing and midwifery students of Estahban Islamic Azad University in 2017. Data were collected using demographic questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory and Ellison-Paloutzian spiritual scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS, descriptive statistical method and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The results of this study showed that 50 students had no depression, 7 students suffered from mild depression, 9 with moderate, and 12 had high levels of depression. The spiritual well-being level of 55 students was moderate and in 23 it was high. According to Pearson correlation coefficient, there was a significant negative correlation between depression and spiritual well-being (r= -0.558, P < 0.01); depression and religious health (r = -0.365, P <0.01), and also depression and existential health (r = -0.606, P < 0.01). On the basis of the results, an increase in spiritual health reduces depression in students. It seems that the improvement of spiritual healthcare of nursing and midwifery students is essential.