The relationship between spiritual health and social trust among students

Abstract

Social trust and spiritual health play an important role in social communication. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between spiritual health and social trust among Iranian students. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of Sanandaj, in the West of Iran, in 2018. 686 students from 5 universities were included in the study through simple random sampling. The data were collected using established, reliable instruments for the assessment of social trust and spiritual health. Logistic regression models were applied to assess the association between social trust and spiritual health. We reported estimated logits and Odds Ratios (OR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). The students with a literate father had substantially higher odds of social trust (OR=1.98, 95% CI=1.19-3.28, p<0.01). Also, similar findings were obtained for students with a literate mother compared to those with an illiterate mother (OR=2.09, 95% CI=1.33-3.28, p<0.01). The odds of social trust also increased with the father’s employment status (OR=13.06, 95% CI=4.16-41, p<0.01). The odds of social trust increased with religious health (OR=1.05, 95% CI=1.03-1.08, p<0.01). It is essential to increase spiritual health and the parents’ literacy to promote social trust among the students.