Moral intelligence and aggression in students

Moral intelligence is one of the dimensions of intelligence that can provide a framework for the proper function of the individual. Nursing and midwifery students’ performance is of great importance because of the moral and humanistic nature of their profession. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the relationship between moral intelligence and aggression among nursing and midwifery students. Methods & Materials: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 210 nursing and midwifery students. Participants were selected through census method. Data were collected by Lennick and Kiel’s moral intelligence questionnaire and Buss-Perry aggression questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software. The results showed that the mean scores of students' ethical intelligence was (73.2 ± 8.2) with a range of 32 to 100, and the mean scores of students' aggression was (69.3 ± 17.8) with a range of 38 to 143. Moral intelligence had a meaningful and moderate negative correlation with aggressiveness (r = -0.150, P = 0.040). Regarding the findings of this research which shows the relationship between moral intelligence and students' aggression, it is suggested that efforts be made to strengthen students' ethical values.