The Relationship between Religious Attitude and Emotional Intelligence with Attitude towards Euthanasia in Nurses Working in Intensive Care Units

Acceptance of euthanasia is influenced by the beliefs and attitudes of the treatment team towards the issue of life and death. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between religious attitudes and emotional intelligence with attitudes toward euthanasia in nurses working in intensive care units.

This correlational study was conducted on 123 nurses working in the intensive care units of hospitals affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences who has been selected by convenience sampling method. Data collection tools were demographic information Form, euthanasia attitude scale, religious attitude questionnaire and emotional intelligence scale. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 20 at both descriptive and inferential levels.

The mean of the total score of attitudes towards euthanasia, religious attitude and emotional intelligence was 32.50±9.34, 58.80±11.25 and 273.28±8.96 respectively. According to Pearson correlation coefficient test, religious attitude had a moderate, inverse and significant relationship with attitude towards euthanasia (r=-0.574, P<0.001). Emotional intelligence also had a weak, inverse and significant relationship with attitudes towards euthanasia (r=-0.448, P<0.001).

According to the results of the research, the higher the emotional intelligence of nurses, the lower the attitude towards euthanasia. In addition, the better their religious attitude is, the attitude towards euthanasia will decrease. This reveals the necessity of individual, professional and organizational attention to emotional intelligence and religious attitude.