The Effect of Spiritual Intelligence on Occupational Stress Among Medical Interns During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Structural Equation Model

Many medical students experience heavy occupational stress during their long education period. Occupational stress can be affected by several factors, including spiritual intelligence.

This study aimed to determine the level of occupational stress in medical interns during the COVID-19 pandemic and the effect of spiritual intelligence.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 209 medical interns at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (Tehran, Iran) in the autumn of 2020. Eligible medical students answered two online questionnaires: The Opisow occupational stress questionnaire and the King Spiritual Intelligence Questionnaire. Data were analyzed in SPSS 16 and EQS6.1 using structural equation modeling.

The mean occupational stress score and the mean spiritual intelligence score of the participants were 184.57 ± 23.57 and 50.44 ± 13.97, respectively. All the model fitness indices were in the acceptable range (CMIN/df = 2.3, RMSEA = 0.07, GFI = 0.91, and CFI = 0.93); thus, the proposed model was confirmed. Spiritual intelligence was a factor affecting occupational stress (β = -0.45). Besides, all of the subscales of spiritual intelligence negatively affected occupational stress with the following effect sizes: Transcendent awareness (β = -0.53), critical existential thinking (β = -0.43), production of personal meaning (β = -0.41), and consciousness state expansion (β = -0.27).

According to the model fitness indices, it can be concluded that the proposed model was acceptable. All subscales of spiritual intelligence had a negative impact on occupational stress.