Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Relationship between aggression and individual resilience with the mediating role of spirituality in academic students – A path analysis

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Yasaman Zahra Sadeghifard
. Yousef Veisani
. Fathola Mohamadian 1
. Akbar Azizifar 2
. Sakineh Naghipour 3
. Sehat Aibod

1 Department of Psychology, Psychosocial Injuries Research Center, Ilam University of Medical Sciences

2 Department of Psycholinguistics, School of Medicine, Ilam University of Medical Sciences

3 Department of Education, Ilam Province, Ilam, Iran

Abstract
BACKGROUND: The importance of spirituality and spiritual growth in humans has been increasingly
taken to attention by psychologists and mental health professionals. In this study, we aimed to
investigate the relationship between the tendency to aggression and individual resilience also
considering the role of mediator of spirituality in academic students by path analysis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross‑sectional study was conducted using structural equation
method (SEM). The target population consisted all of undergraduate academic students in Ilam, Iran
University of Applied Sciences, in 2018. Participants included 200 people whom were selected by
stratified random sampling. Data collection tools were demographic, Buss and Perry aggression,
spirituality assessment, and resiliency of Connor and Davidson questionnaire. In this study, bivariate
analysis was used to determine the directionality correlation between the study variables.
RESULTS: The results showed that there was a significant and positive correlation between
spirituality and resilience (r = 154% r = 83%). Furthermore, there was a negative and nonsignificant
relationship between aggression with resiliency (r = −122% P = 101). In addition, there was no
significant correlation between the aggression and spirituality (r = 0.05%, P = 0.942). The results of
SEM showed that spirituality and aggression can predict about 20% of the variations in the degree
of resilience in academic students. Accordingly, the results of SEM spirituality in an indirect path
reduce the aggression and thus increase the resilience (r = 0.102).
CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed the effect of spirituality on increasing the level of
resilience and also positive mediator role of spirituality between aggression and resiliency.

Keywords

Aggression
path analysis
resilience
spirituality
students
1. Memaryan N, Rassouli M, Mehrabi M. Spirituality concept by
health professionals in Iran: A qualitative study. Evid Based
Complement Alternat Med 2016; 2016:1‑9.
2. NaghaviA. Qualitative study of spirituality and resilience from the
perspective of Iranian immigrant women in Melbourne (Australia).
Iran J Psychiatry Clin Psychol 2016; 21:281‑96.
3. Azarnik S, Seddigh R, Keshavarz‑Akhlaghi AA, Memaryan N.
Educational resources of psychiatry residency about spirituality
in Iran: A qualitative study. Iran J Psychiatry Clin Psychol 2015;
21:175‑86.
4. Clark M. Psychotherapy and spirituality: Crossing the line
between therapy and religion, by William West. Int J Psychother
2001; 6:234‑6.
5. MacDonald DA, Holland D. Spirituality and boredom proneness.
Pers Individ Differ 2002; 32:1113‑9.
6. Hood RW Jr., Hill PC, Spilka B. The Psychology of Religion: An Empirical Approach. Guilford: Guilford Publications; 2018.
7. Hashemi L JB. Study of relationship between spiritual
transcendence and resilience. J Educ Psychol 2011; 8:123‑42.
8. Prince‑Embury S, Saklofske DH, Vesely AK. Measures of
Resiliency. Measures of Personality and Social Psychological
Constructs. Florida: Elsevier; 2015. p. 290‑321.
9. Langer N. Resiliency and spirituality: Foundations of strengths
perspective counseling with the elderly. Educ Gerontol 2004;
30:611‑7.
10. Waller MA. Resilience in ecosystemic context: Evolution of the
concept. Am J Orthopsychiatry 2001; 71:290‑7.
11. Elias H, Krauss SE, Aishah S. A review study on spiritual
intelligence, adolescence and spiritual intelligence, factors that
may contribute to individual differences in spiritual intelligence,
and the related theories. Int J Psychol Stud 2010; 2:179.
12. Hamid N, Babamiri M, Dehghani M. The relationship between
mental health, spiritual intelligence with resiliency in student of
Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences. Jentashapir J Health
Res 2012; 3:331‑338.
13. Greeff AP, Loubser K. Spirituality as a resiliency quality in
Xhosa‑speaking families in South Africa. J Relig Health 2008;
47:288‑301.
14. Black JM, Hawks JH, Keene AM. Medical‑surgical Nursing:
Clinical Management for Positive Outcomes. Winningham:
Saunders Elsevier; 2009.
15. Maddux J. Self‑efficacy: The power of believing you can. In:
Snyder CR, Lopez SJ, editors. Handbook of Positive Psychology.
New York: Oxford University Press; 2002. p. 277‑87.
16. Smith B. Spiritual Intelligence: Definitions and Measurements.
Course Paper for. 2013.
17. Yang KP, Wu XJ. Spiritual intelligence of nurses in two Chinese
social systems: A cross‑sectional comparison study. J Nurs Res
2009; 17:189‑98.
18. Johnson SJ, Batey M, Holdsworth L. Personality and health: The
mediating role of trait emotional intelligence and work locus of
control. Pers Individ Differ 2009; 47:470‑5.
19. Horton TG. The relationship between extrinsic religiosity, intrinsic
religiosity, and spiritual maturity to life satisfaction and coping
resources. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stillwater, OK:
Oklahoma State University. 2000.
20. Knabb JJ, Pelletier J. Effects of parental divorce on God image
among young adults at a Christian university. Marriage and
Family Review. 2013 Apr 1; 49 (3):231‑50..
21. Hall TW, Edwards KJ. The spiritual assessment inventory:
A theistic model and measure for assessing spiritual development.
J Sci Study Relig 2002; 41:341‑57.
22. Buss AH, Perry M. The aggression questionnaire. J Pers Soc
Psychol 1992; 63:452‑9.
23. Connor KM, Davidson JR. Development of a new resilience
scale: The Connor‑Davidson resilience scale (CD‑RISC). Depress
Anxiety 2003; 18:76‑82.
24. Samani S, Jokar B, Sahragard N. Effects of resilience on mental
health and life satisfaction. Iran J Psychiatry Clin Psychol 2007;
13:290‑5.
25. Arslan G. Psychological maltreatment, emotional and behavioral
problems in adolescents: The mediating role of resilience and
self‑esteem. Child Abuse Neglect 2016; 52:200‑9.
26. Denson TF, DeWall CN, Finkel EJ. Self‑control and aggression.
Curr Dir Psychol Sci 2012; 21:20‑5.
27. HashemiLJ. Study of Relationship between spiritual transcendence
and resilience. J Educ Psychol Stud 2011; 8:123‑42.
28. Behroozi H, Zadeh MZ, Kakhki AS. The relationship between
spiritual intelligence and aggression among male teen soccer
players. Sport Psychol Stud 2012; 6:81‑94.
29. King DB, DeCicco TL. A viable model and self‑report measure of
spiritual intelligence. Int J Transpers Stud 2009; 8:28.
30. Hosseini M, Zardoshtiyan S, Karimi J. Explain The relationship
between spiritual intelligence and aggression with mediating
role of resiliency in between Asian kung fu workers. Sci J Organ
Behav Manage Sport Stud 2018; 5:55‑62.
Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 10, Issue 1
January 2020
Pages 1-6

Home

Guide for Authors

Submit Manuscript

Reviewers

Contact Us