Spiritual care competence in nursing students: the predictive roles of spiritual well-being and emotional intelligence

Background & Objective: Spiritual care is the essence of nursing services and one of the main duties of nurses. Also, spiritual well-being and emotional intelligence are factors affecting the caring behaviors of nurses. This study aimed to check the level of perceived Competence in Spiritual Care (CSC) and to look into the predictive roles of Spiritual Well-Being (SWB) and Emotional Intelligence (EI) among nursing students. Materials & Methods: This descriptive-correlational research study involved 215 undergraduate nursing students. Participants were recruited using a census sampling way. Data collection took place between May 6 and July 18, 2023, using four standardized instruments: a demographic information checklist, the Scale for Assessment of Nurses' Competencies in Spiritual Care, the Spiritual Well-Being Scale, and the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale. Statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS version 25, which included independent t-tests, one-way Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA), Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression to look at the relationships among the variables. Results: The present study revealed a positive and significant correlation between CSC and EI (p < 0.001, r = 0.54), as well as between CSC and SWB (p < 0.001, r = 0.47). Regression models revealed that EI (β = 0.408, p < 0.001), SWB (β = 0.308, p = 0.004), age (β = -0.126, p = 0.021), and marital status (β = -0.117, p = 0.032) were significant predictors of CSC in nursing students. These variables accounted for 39% of the variance in spiritual care competencies. Conclusion: EI and SWB have a significant effect on nursing students' ability to give spiritual care to patients. These results stress the significance of including emotional and spiritual growth into nursing education programs. By building these attributes through targeted training and helpful strategies, nursing students can be better prepared to address patients' spiritual needs, promote holistic healing, and improve the overall quality of care in various clinical settings.