The Relation between Spiritual Intelligence and Test Anxiety Among Nursing and Midwifery Students: Application of Path Analysis

Introduction: One of the concerns of educational system is test anxiety that impairs academic performance. On the other hand, using the spiritual sources in solving life problems and confronting conflicts and achieving goals is attended increasingly. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between spiritual intelligence and its dimensions with test anxiety among nursing and midwifery students. Methods: This descriptive -analytic study was conducted on a census sample of 246 BS nursing and midwifery students in Qom University of Medical Sciences in 2012. The spiritual intelligence questionnaire developed by Badii et al and the anxiety inventory were used. The Data were analyzed by path analysis and correlation coefficients. Results: There was a significant inverse relation (r=-0.28, p=0.002) between spiritual intelligence and test anxiety scores. Among all aspects of spiritual intelligence, self-awareness (Consciousness) and Ability to deal with problems had the most influences on anxiety. There was a significant relation between all dimensions of spiritual intelligence whit its total score (p<0.0001). Conclusion: According to the inverse relation between spiritual intelligence and test anxiety, it seems that paying attention to spiritual intelligence is valuable and effective in improving educational performance and controlling test anxiety.