The Effect of Spiritual Intelligence on Stress Coping Styles: A Comparison between Traditional Believers and Modern Spiritualists in Qom
Keywords:
Spiritual intelligence, Stress coping styles, Traditional religiosity, Modern spirituality, QomAbstract
The present study aimed to examine the predictive role of spiritual intelligence in stress coping styles and to compare traditional believers and modern spiritualists in Qom. This quantitative study employed a causal-comparative design. The statistical population consisted of adults aged 18 to 60 residing in Qom, who were classified into two groups—traditional believers and modern spiritualists—through purposive and convenience sampling. Instruments included a spiritual intelligence questionnaire measuring existential critical thinking, personal meaning production, transcendental awareness, and conscious state expansion, as well as a coping styles questionnaire assessing problem-focused and emotion-focused coping. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis. Multivariate analysis revealed significant group differences in spiritual intelligence components, with modern spiritualists scoring higher in existential critical thinking and personal meaning production. Significant differences were also found in coping styles, as modern spiritualists reported greater use of problem-focused coping, whereas traditional believers relied more on emotion-focused coping. Regression analysis indicated that spiritual intelligence dimensions, particularly existential critical thinking and personal meaning production, significantly predicted problem-focused coping. The findings suggest that cognitive and meaning-centered dimensions of spiritual intelligence play a substantial role in shaping coping styles, and that different spiritual orientations may influence whether individuals adopt active problem-solving strategies or emotion-regulation approaches in response to stress.
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