title: The Relationship between Religious Coping and Self-Care Behaviors in Iranian Medical Students.
abstract: In recent years, researchers have identified that coping strategies are an important contributor to an individual's life satisfaction and ability to manage stress. The positive relationship between religious copings, specifically, with physical and mental health has also been identified in some studies. Spirituality and religion have been discussed rigorously in research, but very few studies exist on religious coping. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between religious coping methods (i.e., positive and negative religious coping) and self-care behaviors in Iranian medical students. This study used a cross-sectional design of 335 randomly selected students from Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. A data collection tool comprised of the standard questionnaire of religious coping methods and questionnaire of self-care behaviors assessment was utilized. Data were analyzed using a two-sample t test assuming equal variances. Adjusted linear regression was used to evaluate the independent association of religious copings with self-care. Adjusted linear regression model indicated an independent significant association between positive (b = 4.616, 95% CI 4.234-4.999) and negative (b = -3.726, 95% CI -4.311 to -3.141) religious coping with self-care behaviors. Findings showed a linear relationship between religious coping and self-care behaviors. Further research with larger sample sizes in diverse populations is recommended.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery Amol, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sharif Nia
authors.affiliation: Taylor's Business School, Taylor's University Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Saeed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pahlevan Sharif
authors.affiliation: Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. amir_sari@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Amir Hossein
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Goudarzian
authors.affiliation: The Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Kelly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.affiliation: Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Saman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jamali
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery of Sari, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Heydari Gorji
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Health improvement; Iran; Medical students; Religious coping; Self-care