Investigation of Moral Intelligence's Predictive Components in Students of …
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________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Original Article ____________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________Investigation ________________________________of moral intelligence’s________________________________ predictive components________________________________ in students ____________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________of Shahid Beheshti________________________________ university of m________________________________edical sciences (SBMU)________________________________ ____________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Maryam Mohammadi1*, Shabnam Mohammadi2, Ali Mehri3, Fatemeh Bagheri Mazraeh4 1.Assistant Professor, Health Education and Health Promotion, Department of Public Health, School of Public Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 2.Assistant Professor, Neurogenic Inflammation Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. 3.Assistant Professor, Department of Health Education, School of Health, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran. 4.Researcher, Student of Public Health, School of Public Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Abstract This study aimed to investigate dominant predictor *Corresponding Author components of moral intelligence (MI) based on the Lennick and Kiel's model in students of Shahid Beheshti University of Maryam Mohammadi Department of Public Health, School of Medical Sciences (SBMU). Health, Shahid Beheshti University of In this descriptive-analytical study, 322 students of SBMU Medical Sciences, Yaman St., Velenjak, were chosen through cluster sampling. To collect data, a 40- Chamran Highway, Tehran, Iran. item questionnaire, whose validity and reliability was Postal Code : 198353-5511 Tel : (+98) 21 22 43 20 41 confirmed in previous studies, based on the Lennick and Kiel's Email: [email protected] model was used. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS 21 software using appropriate descriptive and analytical Received: 23 Sep 2019 statistics. Of 322 participants, 180 and 142 were female and Accepted: 7 Sep 2020 Published: 20 Sep 2020 male, respectively. The mean age of the participants was 22.30±2.69 years. The study’s regression analysis revealed Citation to this article: that the most and the least direct effects were related to the Mohammadi M, Mohammadi S, Mehri A, forgiveness (R2=0.320) and compassion (R2=0.284) Bagheri Mazraeh F. Investigation of moral intelligence’s predictive components, respectively. Among the inspected components, components in students of Shahid the responsibility component with an overall effect of Beheshti university of medical sciences R2=0.655 was shown to be the strongest predictor component (SBMU). J Med Ethics Hist Med. 2020; of MI. Universities play a significant role in students’ moral 13: 13. MEDICINE OF MEDICAL HISTORY ETHICS AND Journal of development and enhancement. The present study’s findings suggest that developing strategic plans and interventions can enhance MI level (e.g., incentive systems for individuals maintaining high moral responsibility). Since today’s students will be tomorrow’s medical and healthcare professionals, upgrading of MI level in students studying in various divisions of medical sciences enhances their moral responsibility through setting out strong ethics principles to follow and the quality of care that they will provide to patients, thereby improving health. Keywords: Moral intelligence; Students; Medical sciences; Lennick and Kiel’s model. Copyright © 2020 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial Volume 13 Number 13 September 202 0 1 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted, provided the original work is properly cited. Investigation of moral intelligence's predictive components in students of … Introduction compassion focuses on respecting to, paying attention to as well as actively and Moral Intelligence (MI) can be referred to as persistently caring for others. The principle human’s capacity to distinguish right from of forgiveness advocates flexibility wrong and to apply moral principles to regarding human mistakes and failures humans’ intentions, goals, beliefs, values, considering that human is error-prone and and actions. As a newly- introduced concept, fallible and contains imperfections (5). MI has been less researched compared to other types of intelligence (e.g., social, MI, as a compass for our actions, leads our emotional, and cognitive). Recently, MI has other intelligence types (e.g., social, received more attention in researches emotional, and cognitive) toward conducting conducted in psychology and management worthwhile actions (6). Individuals with fields (1). MI provides a framework for high MI level do the right actions consistent humans to act in accordance with moral with their values and beliefs, thereby linking principles; such framework can provide their actions with ethics (3). potentials to advance our understanding of MI is not inherent and is learned through human behavior, and thereby can act as a nurturing, teaching, training, and modeling predictor of human behavior (2). Behaviors (i.e., ethics-observing social environment is and actions of humans are influenced by essential in moral development). Higher their mindset of ethical principles and values education institutions such as universities (3). Considering the link between MI and and colleges are among the most important human behaviors, humans exhibit and social environments. In addition to creates a system of principles and rules to transferring advanced-level knowledge and direct them in distinguishing right from competencies to students, universities wrong (4). People with high MI levels promote social, ethical and cultural values, usually evaluate compatibility of their enhance individual and social skills as well functionality with ethical principles, leading as stimulate personality, emotional, to enhancement of their commitment and behavioral, intellectual, and moral responsibility as well as to improvement of development (7). Development of moral individual and group efficiency (3). characteristics (e.g., empathy, self-control, According to Lennick and Kiel (5), MI respect, kindness, conscientious action, MEDICAL ETHICS Journal of involves four principles of integrity, patience, fairness) in students and their responsibility, compassion, and forgiveness. moral growth is important (5) because The principle of integrity is acting on and today’s students will be tomorrow’s standing for what we know as right professionals of the country. principles, values, and beliefs, thereby Development of MI and moral AND HISTORY OF OF MEDICINE HISTORY AND creating harmony between words and characteristics among medical sciences’ actions. The principle of responsibility students, who will work in healthcare and emphasizes on acting consciously, being clinical centers in future, will improve the accountable for our mistakes and failures, quality of care provided to patients, thereby accepting responsibility for consequences of improving health. Medical students with our actions as well as being committed to high MI level can minimize potential risks help and serve others. The principle of through careful consideration of their 2 Volume 13 Number 13 September 2020 Mohammadi M., et al. actions’ consequences in the workplace. excellent, good, above average, average and Since they act according to ethical poor levels. principles, they perform well both at Martin and Austin. initially established individual level and in teamwork (5). validity and reliability of the questionnaire Considering the importance of MI level, this (8). Araste et al. translated the questionnaire study aimed to investigate predictor from English to Persian, localized it, and components of MI in SBMU students based established its validity and reliability; on the Lennick, Kiel and Jordan model (5). Cronbach's alpha reliability was confirmed by Araste et al. and it was shown to be 0.897 Method (9). The collected data were analyzed using This descriptive-analytical study was descriptive and analytical statistics by SPSS performed on SBMU students after 21 software. receiving the code of ethics (IR.SBMU.PHNS.REC 1397.0999) from the university. Initially, faculties of SBMU were Results considered as clusters. Then, final samples From 322 SBMU students participated in the were selected from each faculty based on the study, 180 were female (55.9%) and 142 number of students qualified for this study were male (44.1%), respectively. The mean (SBMU students