Investigating spiritual well-being and its relationship with health behaviors, depression, and academic achievement in medical students: a structural equation modeling study.

Résumé

OBJECTIVE: Spiritual well-being (SWB) is a key health dimension crucial for quality of life. For university students facing significant academic pressures, SWB may be a vital resource associated with lower depression, healthier behaviors, and higher academic achievement. This study aimed to investigate the complex interrelationships among these variables in medical students.METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled 362 students from Khoy University of Medical Sciences via census sampling. The participants had a mean age of 21.67 ± 2.98 years. The majority of participants were female (55.5%) and single (88.7%). Validated self-report questionnaires were used to measure spiritual well-being (Paloutzian SWB scale), health behaviors (Ahmadi Questionnaire), depression (PHQ-9), and academic performance (GPA). Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test the direct and indirect pathways within the conceptual model.RESULTS: The final structural model demonstrated good fit (χ²/df = 2.34, RMSEA = 0.060, CFI = 0.91). Spiritual well-being had significant direct positive association with all health behaviors: physical activity (β = 0.35, p