نویسندگان:

¹مرکز مشاوره و سلامت، دانشگاه زابل، زابل، ایران.

²گروه آمار، دانشکده علوم پایه، دانشگاه زابل، ایران.

چکیده فارسی: پژوهش حاضر با هدف بررسی تأثیر هوش معنوی بر بهزیستی روانی با نقش مداخله‌گر افکار خودکار در جمعیت دانشجویی انجام شد. نمونۀ مورد پژوهش، شامل ۱۸۰ نفر از دانشجویان دختر شاغل به تحصیل در دانشگاه زابل بود. اعضای نمونه پرسشنامه‌های افکار خودکار، نشانگر بهزیستی روانی و هوش معنوی را به‌صورت گزارش شخصی (مداد و کاغذی) تکمیل کردند و در ‌نهایت، اطلاعات حاصل از ۱۴۵ آزمودنی (۱۸ تا ۳۲ساله) با میانگین سنی ۲۱.۷۸، مورد تحلیل قرار گرفت. نتایج همبستگی پیرسون، حاکی از وجود ارتباط معنا‌دار بین ابعاد هوش معنوی، افکار خودکار منفی، و بهزیستی روانی بود و نتایج معادلات ساختاری نیز نقش میانجی افکار خودکار منفی در تأثیر هوش معنوی بر بهزیستی روانی دانشجویان را مورد تأیید قرار داد. یافته‌های مطالعۀ حاضر به ما نشان داد که افکار خودکار منفی به‌عنوان یک سازوکار روان‌شناختی، هوش معنوی را به بهزیستی روانی مرتبط می‌سازد و بهبود هوش معنوی افزون بر مزایای مستقیم برای بهزیستی روانی، به‌صورت غیرمستقیم و از طریق کاهش افکار خودکار منفی نیز موجب بهبود بهزیستی روانی می‌گردد؛ بنابراین، تلفیق مداخلات درمانی با آموزش‌های مبتنی بر هوش معنوی می‌تواند به مدیریت و بازسازی بهتر الگوهای فکری منفی افراد کمک کند.

Effect of Spiritual Intelligence on the Psychological Well-being of Female Students: The Mediating Role of Automatic Thoughts

English Abstract: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of spiritual intelligence on psychological well-being and to consider the mediating role of automatic thoughts in a student population. The research sample consisted of 180 female students enrolled at the University of Zabol. The participants completed self-report questionnaires (pencil-and-paper) that measured negative automatic thoughts, psychological well-being, and spiritual intelligence. Ultimately, data from 145 subjects (aged 18 to 32) with a mean age of 21.78 were analyzed. Pearson correlation results indicated a significant relationship among the dimensions of spiritual intelligence, negative automatic thoughts, and psychological well-being. Furthermore, structural equation modeling confirmed that negative automatic thoughts mediate the effect of spiritual intelligence on students' psychological well-being. The findings of the current study revealed that negative automatic thoughts serve as a psychological mechanism linking spiritual intelligence to psychological well-being. Consequently, enhancing spiritual intelligence not only has direct benefits for psychological well-being but also improves it indirectly by reducing negative automatic thoughts. Therefore, integrating therapeutic interventions with training based on spiritual intelligence can help individuals better manage and restructure their negative thought patterns. Introduction The concept of psychological well-being finds its roots in the "mental health and hygiene movement," which emerged in the early 20th century. The mental hygiene movement, which formed around 1908, sought to improve living conditions, the quality of treatment, and the human rights of those afflicted with mental disorders. This movement provided a foundation for the gradual evolution of definitions of mental health; definitions which considered well-being not merely as the absence of illness, but as positive psychological functioning and enhancement of quality of life (Bertolote, 2008). One variable closely related to psychological well-being is spiritual intelligence. Spiritual intelligence is defined as a cognitive-metacognitive capability that encompasses the ability to apply and manifest spiritual resources, values, and qualities in daily life to enhance functioning and well-being. spiritual intelligence contributes to meaning-making in life and guides individuals through profound life questions with hope and trust, enabling adaptive and flourishing living (Skrzypińska, 2021; Martin-Sanchez, 2025). According to scientific studies, individuals with higher spiritual intelligence, due to their meaning-making and emotional regulation abilities, are equipped with more effective cognitive tools for managing and moderating automatic thoughts. This capacity weakens maladaptive cognitive patterns associated with disorders such as stress, anxiety, and depression, consequently leading to strengthened psychological resilience and an increased tendency towards positive thinking (Haghani & Khodabakhshi-koolaee, 2022; Kober et al., 2017; Direktor et al., 2017). Therefore, it is predicted that higher spiritual intelligence acts as a protective factor that mitigates the detrimental effects of negative automatic thoughts on psychological well-being by facilitating adaptive cognitive processes. Furthermore, few studies have investigated the moderating role of automatic thoughts in the relationship between spiritual intelligence and psychological well-being. Consequently, the present study was conducted to examine the impact of spiritual intelligence on psychological well-being with the moderating role of automatic thoughts. Methodology The present fundamental study employed a descriptive-correlational method with structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of all 500 undergraduate students residing in the dormitories of the University of Zabol during the 2023-2024 academic year. Based on sampling methods for structural equation modeling, 180 individuals were selected via convenience sampling, adhering to the inclusion criteria (e.g., absence of severe psychiatric disorders). Ethical considerations, including explaining the research objectives, the right to withdraw, and guaranteeing data confidentiality, were observed. Data were collected using three self-report questionnaires: the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire, the Psychological Well-Being Indicator and the Spiritual Intelligence Questionnaire. After excluding 34 questionnaires due to insincere or incomplete responses, data from 145 participants (with a mean age of 21.78 years) were analyzed. Results In this study, the sample consisted of 145 female students aged 21 to 28 years. The results of descriptive statistics indicated that the research variables had appropriate dispersion and distribution. The results of the Pearson correlation test revealed significant positive relationships among most dimensions of spiritual intelligence and psychological well-being. On the other hand, negative automatic thoughts showed a significant negative relationship with the truth dimension (r = -.224, p < .01) and a significant negative correlation with psychological well-being (r = -.334, p < .01). Psychological well-being had significant positive relationships with grace (r = .406, p < .01), transcendence (r = .262, p < .01), and truth (r = .436, p < .01), and also a weak positive relationship with self-awareness (r = .178, p < .05). The structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis confirmed the study's hypothesized model. Key findings indicate that spiritual intelligence has a significant negative effect on negative automatic thoughts, while negative automatic thoughts themselves significantly reduce psychological well-being. Crucially, spiritual intelligence also exerts a strong direct positive effect on well-being. Furthermore, an indirect pathway was identified, showing that spiritual intelligence enhances well-being by reducing negative automatic thoughts. The total effect of spiritual intelligence on psychological well-being was strong and significant, affirming its central role in promoting mental health and reducing negative cognitions among the students, thus fully supporting the study's main objective. Evaluation of the model fit also confirmed the adequacy of the SEM model. The chi-square to degrees of freedom ratio was 1.93, well below the recommended cutoff of 3. The root mean square error of approximation was 0.080, and the standardized root mean square residual was 0.055, both within acceptable ranges. Comparative fit indices were all above 0.90, including the comparative fit index 0.976, goodness-of-fit index 0.973, incremental fit index 0.977, and Tucker–Lewis's index 0.937, indicating a good model fit and validating the proposed theoretical framework. In summary, the results demonstrate that spiritual intelligence plays a pivotal role in enhancing psychological well-being. It directly promotes well-being and indirectly contributes to mental health by reducing negative automatic thoughts, confirming its theoretical and practical significance in line with the study’s objectives. Discussion and conclusion This research was fundamentally designed to examine the complex relationship between spiritual intelligence and psychological well-being, with a specific focus on the mediating role played by negative automatic thoughts. The central finding was that spiritual intelligence exerts a dual significant effect on well-being, directly and indirectly through reducing the frequency and intensity of negative automatic thoughts, which are themselves a major deterrent to psychological well-being. Key dimensions of spiritual intelligence, such as grace, transcendence, and truth, were found to be particularly potent in fostering improved mental health outcomes. These findings are firmly situated within a growing body of international literature that affirms the positive role of spiritual intelligence. For instance, studies on student populations, such as Arshad's (2024) research on Pakistani students, have demonstrated that higher spiritual intelligence predicts greater happiness and better psychological adjustment. Further supporting this, other researchers (Anwar, 2024; Tabatabaee Zavare & Nasrolahi, 2024; Hosseinabadi et al., 2023) have identified spiritual intelligence not only as a direct predictor of well-being but also as a mediating variable in relationships involving anxiety and academic self-efficacy. The mechanisms behind this relationship are explained through interconnected cognitive, emotional, and even neurobiological processes. Spiritually intelligent individuals appear to develop healthier cognitive patterns and greater emotional balance (Shokoohi Nejad et al., 2022). This is operationalized through enhanced positive cognitive restructuring, mindfulness, and meaning-making, which help individuals more effectively identify and manage negative automatic thoughts (Haghani, & Khodabakhshi-koolaee, 2022; Li et al., 2023). The efficacy of cultivating spiritual intelligence is further supported by interventional studies; for example, Shokoohi-Yekta (2024) found that educational programs to develop spiritual intelligence led to a significant reduction in irrational thinking and depressive symptoms. Crucially, neuro-scientific evidence from Kober et al. (2017) provides a biological basis for these effects, showing that regular spiritual practice increases brain activity in regions responsible for cognitive control, thereby directly reducing negative, task-unrelated automatic thoughts. In conclusion, the collective evidence from this study and the cited literature indicates that spiritual intelligence enhances psychological well-being through a multi-faceted causal pathway. This pathway involves enhancing cognitive control, facilitating emotional regulation, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, and actively supporting positive cognitive restructuring. Therefore, a key recommendation arising from this research is the formal integration of spiritual intelligence training into therapeutic interventions to equip individuals with robust tools to manage and restructure their negative thought patterns, thereby promoting lasting psychological well-being.