The Role of Spiritual Intelligence and Identity Styles in Predicting Psychological Hardiness of Students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2018

Psychological hardiness is a personality structure that is considered as a source of resistance to medical students in stressful situations. The aim of this study was to determine the role of spiritual intelligence and identity styles in predicting psychological hardiness of students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 300 students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences included in the study by random cluster sampling. Data collection instruments in this study were demographic information questionnaire, hardiness questionnaire, identity style and spiritual intelligence. Pearson correlation, independent t-test, Kruskal-Wallis, analysis of variance and linear regression were used to analyze the data.

The mean score of psychological hardiness in research units was 48.16±9.68, spiritual intelligence was 10.43±18.62 and identity styles were 128.01±15.99. The results showed that the variables of spiritual intelligence and types of identity styles as independent variables had the predictability of psychological toughness as a dependent variable (r = 0.41, p<0.001).

The results of this study showed that spiritual intelligence and identity styles have a positive effect on psychological hardiness. Promoting and improving spiritual intelligence and identity styles increases students' psychological hardiness. Therefore, increasing psychological hardiness can be a factor to improve students' mental health.