Relationship between spiritual intelligence and intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety and fear of Corona in the elderly

Ahmad Maghool; Mahmoud Bakhshi; Sedigheh Rastaghi; Mostafa Rad

doi:10.4103/jehp.jehp_1623_22

Relationship between spiritual intelligence and intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety and fear of Corona in the elderly

J Educ Health Promot. 2023 Nov 27:12:399. doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_1623_22. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Ahmad Maghool¹, Mahmoud Bakhshi^{2

3}, Sedigheh Rastaghi⁴, Mostafa Rad⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Nursing and Midwifery, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran.
² Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
³ Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
⁴ Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
⁵ Department of Nursing, Nursing and Midwifery School, Iranian Research Center on Healthy Aging, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused physical and psychological health problems in the elderly. Spiritual intelligence has an effect on health and healing. The aim of this study determining the relationship between spiritual intelligence and intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety, and fear of corona in the elderly.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was done on 207 elderly people who referred to comprehensive health service centers in Mashhad in 2022. The samples were selected based on the inclusion criteria using multistage and cluster sampling. To collect data, various questionnaires were used, including demographic characteristics (age, gender, marital status …), King's Spiritual Intelligence Questionnaire, Freestone's Intolerance of Uncertainty Questionnaire, Corona Anxiety Scale, and Coronavirus Fear Scale. Statistical analysis of variables was done using descriptive and analytical (independent t-test, Mann-Whitney, analysis of variance, linear regression) tests by means of STATA version 14.

Results: The average level of spiritual intelligence was 54.1. Participants reported a high level of intolerance of uncertainty (M = 79.2) and fear of corona (M = 14.09). Education, economic status, and marital status were the predictors of spiritual intelligence of the studied subjects (r = 0.24, P < .05). Spiritual intelligence and gender were also related to uncertainty intolerance (r = 0.12, P < .05). Another finding of the study was the superiority of variables of spiritual intelligence and gender in predicting the level of anxiety of corona compared to other variables (r = 0.17, P < .05).

Conclusion: There was a relationship between spiritual intelligence, education, and gender with the level of fear and anxiety of corona. Therefore, planning and implementing educational projects based on increasing spiritual intelligence for the elderly with priority for elderly women and with a low level of literacy and income is recommended.

Keywords: Anxiety of corona; COVID-19; elderly; fear of corona; intolerance of uncertainty; spiritual intelligence.