The Structural Equation Modeling of the Relationship Between Spirituality and Psychological Wellbeing Mediated by Spiritual Health

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Spirituality is an individual’s effort and searches for meaning and purpose in life. Spirituality includes the connection with religious beliefs and some of the chosen beliefs, values, and duties that give meaning to life to achieve the desired perfection. This study aimed to model the structural equations of the relationship between spirituality and psychological wellbeing mediated by spiritual health. Methods: This was a descriptive and correlational study, especially of cause-effect modeling. The statistical population included students of higher education centers in Sanandaj City, Iran, in 2018. Of them, 464 subjects were selected as the research sample by cluster random sampling approach. Measurement tools included researcher-made spirituality questionnaires (2020), Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being (1980), and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (Paloutzian & Ellison, 1983). Results: Data analysis was performed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, heuristic factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis by structural equation modeling. The results on the model of the relationship between spirituality, psychological well-being, and spiritual health indicated the acceptable desirability of the indicators of goodness of fit of the model (P≤0.01). Other results suggested that higher levels of spirituality were associated with psychological wellbeing and spiritual health. Conclusion: The present research data revealed an overlap between spirituality, psychological well-being, and spiritual health. Spirituality positively affected psychological wellbeing and spiritual health concerning individual and social adjustment