Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Religious Affiliation, Quality of Life and Academic Performance: New Zealand Medical Students

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Religion and Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study investigated the connections between religious affiliation, quality of life (QOL) and measures of academic performance. Participants (n = 275) were recruited from the School of Medicine within a New Zealand university. Religious affiliation was classified according to three subcategories: Christian (n = 104), Eastern religion (n = 34) and non-religious (n = 117). The participants completed the World Health Organisation quality of life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) and the World Health Organisation Spiritual, Religiousness, and Personal Beliefs questionnaire immediately before their lecture time. The main findings of the study indicated that participants from different religious affiliations expressed different spiritual QOL perceptions. However, these different expressions did not translate into their perceptions related to hours of study and academic achievement. In addition, the QOL measures did not relate to academic achievement estimation but did predict hours of study. Greater hours of study were related to greater physical health but lower psychological health and poorer engagement in developing social relationships. Data from a small focus group (n = 4) revealed that these students believed that having a belief system assisted them when coping with the academic learning environment, although little difference could be found between external religious orientations and internal belief systems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aktekin, M., Karaman, T., Senol, Y., Erdem, S., Erengin, H., & Akaydin, M. (2001). Anxiety, depression and stressful life events among medical students: A prospective study in Antalya Turkey. Medical Education, 35(1), 12–17.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Billington, R., Landon, J., Krägeloh, C. U., & Shepherd, D. (2010). The New Zealand WHOQOL Group. New Zealand Medical Journal, 123, 65–70.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bramness, J. G., Fixdal, T. C., & Vaglum, P. (2007). Effect of medical school stress on the mental health of medical students in early and late clinical curriculum. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 84(4), 340–345. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1991.tb03157.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calestani, M. (2009). ‘SUERTE’(Luck): Spirituality and Well-Being in El Alto, Bolivia. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 4(1), 47–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Camfield, L., & Skevington, S. M. (2008). On subjective well-being and quality of life. Journal of Health Psychology, 13(6), 764–775. doi:10.1177/1359105308093860.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, E. A., Yates, T. M., & Sroufe, L. A. (2008). Development of dissociation and development of the self. Dissociation and the dissociative disorders: DSM-V and beyond. Retrieved from http://adlab.ucr.edu/publications/Dissociation%20and%20Self%20(in%20press).pdf.

  • Casas, F., González, M., Figuer, C., & Malo, S. (2009). Satisfaction with spirituality, satisfaction with religion and personal well-being among Spanish adolescents and young university students. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 4(1), 23–45. doi:10.1007/s11482-009-9066-x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chai, P. P. M., Krägeloh, C. U., Shepherd, D., & Billington, R. (2011). Stress and quality of life in international and domestic university students: Cultural differences in the use of religious coping. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, iFirst, 1, 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chandola, T., Heraclides, A., & Kumari, M. (2010). Psychophysiological biomarkers of workplace stressors. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 35(1), 51–57.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chow, H. P. H. (2010). Predicting academic success and psychological wellness in a sample of Canadian undergraduate students. Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, 8(2), 473–496.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98(2), 310–357.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dezutter, J., Soenens, B., & Hutsebaut, D. (2006). Religiosity and mental health: A further exploration of the relative importance of religious behaviors versus religious attitudes. Personality and Individual Differences, 40(4), 807–818.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dyrbye, L. N., Thomas, M. R., Huntington, J. L., Lawson, K. L., Novotny, P. J., Sloan, J. A., et al. (2006a). Personal life events and medical student burnout: A multicenter study. Academic Medicine, 81(4), 374–384. doi:10.1097/00001888-200604000-00010.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dyrbye, L. N., Thomas, M. R., Huschka, M. M., Lawson, K. L., Novotny, P. J., Sloan, J. A., et al. (2006b). A multicenter study of burnout, depression, and quality of life in minority and nonminority US medical students. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 81(11), 1435–1442. doi:10.4065/81.11.1435.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dyrbye, L. N., Thomas, M. R., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2006c). Systematic review of depression, anxiety, and other indicators of psychological distress among US and Canadian medical students. Academic Medicine, 81(4), 354–373. doi:10.1097/00001888-200604000-00009.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ferriss, A. L. (2002). Religion and the quality of life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 3(3), 199–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glock, C. Y., & Stark, R. (1965). Religion and society in tension. Chicago, IL: Rand McNally.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graneheim, U. H., & Lundman, B. (2004). Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: Concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness. Nurse Education Today, 24(2), 105–112.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hassed, C., Lisle, S. D., Sullivan, G., & Pier, C. (2009). Enhancing the health of medical students: Outcomes of an integrated mindfulness and lifestyle program. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 14(3), 387–398. doi:10.1007/s10459-008-9125-3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, J. M. (1972). Ratana. The man, the church, the political movement (2nd ed.). Wellington, New Zealand: A. H. and A. W. Reed.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henning, M. A., Hawken, S. J., Krägeloh, C. U., Zhao, Y., & Doherty, I. (2011). Asian medical students: Quality of life and motivation to learn. Asia Pacific Education Review, 12(3), 437–445. doi:10.1007/s12564-011-9148-y.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henning, M. A., Krägeloh, C. U., Hawken, S., Zhao, Y., & Doherty, I. (2010). Quality of life and motivation to learn: A study of medical students. Issues in Educational Research, 20(3), 244–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henning, M. A., Krägeloh, C. U., Moir, F., Doherty, I., & Hawken, S. J. (2012). Quality of life: International and domestic students studying medicine in New Zealand. Perspectives on Medical Education: Online first. doi:10.1007/s40037-012-0019-y Retrieved from http://www.springerlink.com/content/268034281813203k/fulltext.pdf.

  • Henning, M. A., Krägeloh, C. U., Moir, F., Hawken, S. J., Lyndon, M. P., & Hill, A. G. (2013). The quality of life of medical students and clinicians. In A. P. Giardino & E. R. Giardino (Eds.), Medical education: Global perspectives, challenges and future directions (pp. 231–250). New York: Nova Science Publishers.

  • Hojat, M., Gonnella, J. S., Erdmann, J. B., & Vogel, W. H. (2003). Medical students’ cognitive appraisal of stressful life events as related to personality, physical well-being, and academic performance: A longitudinal study. Personality and Individual Differences, 35(1), 219–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holdcroft, B. B. (2006). What is religiosity. Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice, 10(1), 89–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsu, P. H.-C., Krägeloh, C. U., Shepherd, D., & Billington, R. (2009). Religion/spirituality and quality of life of international tertiary students in New Zealand: An exploratory study. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 12(4), 385–399. doi:10.1080/13674670902752920.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, L., & Galinsky, A. D. (2011). Mind–Body dissonance. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2(4), 351–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Human Rights Commission. (2012). New Zealand today - Aotearoa i tenei rā. Retrieved 18 Oct 2012, from http://www.hrc.co.nz/report/chapters/chapter09/religion02.html#sta.

  • Krägeloh, C. U., Chai, P. P. M., Shepherd, D., & Billington, R. (2012). How religious coping is used relative to other coping strategies depends on the individual’s level of religiosity and spirituality. Journal of Religion and Health, 51(4), 1137–1151. doi:10.1007/s10943-010-9416-x.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krägeloh, C. U., Henning, M. A., Hawken, S. J., Zhao, Y., Shepherd, D., & Billington, R. (2011). Validation of the WHOQOL-BREF quality of life questionnaire for use with medical students. Education for Health, 24, 1–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krägeloh, C. U., Kersten, P., Billington, R., Hsu, P. H. -C., Shepherd, D., Landon, J., & Feng, X. J. (2013). Validation of the WHOQOL-BREF quality of life questionnaire for general use in New Zealand: Confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis. Quality of Life Research, 22(6), 1451–1457. doi:10.1007/s11136-012-0265-9.

  • Lee, J., & Graham, A. V. (2001). Students’ perception of medical school stress and their evaluation of a wellness elective. Medical Education, 35(7), 652–659.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marsh, H. W. (1992). Content specificity of relations between academic achievement and academic self-concept. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(1), 35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McManus, I. C., Keeling, A., & Paice, E. (2004). Stress, burnout and doctors’ attitudes to work are determined by personality and learning style: A twelve year longitudinal study of UK medical graduates. BMC Medicine, 2, 29.

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moffat, K. J., McConnachie, A., Ross, S., & Morrison, J. M. (2004). First year medical student stress and coping in a problem-based learning medical curriculum. Medical Education, 38(5), 482–491.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connell, K. A., & Skevington, S. M. (2005). The relevance of spirituality, religion and personal beliefs to health-related quality of life: Themes from focus groups in Britain. British journal of health psychology, 10(3), 379–398.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connell, K. A., & Skevington, S. M. (2010). Spiritual, religious, and personal beliefs are important and distinctive to assessing quality of life in health: A comparison of theoretical models. British Journal of Health Psychology, 15(4), 729–748.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Park, C. L. (2005). Religion as a meaning: Making framework in coping with life stress. Journal of Social Issues, 61(4), 707–729.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Radcliffe, C., & Lester, H. (2003). Perceived stress during undergraduate medical training: A qualitative study. Medical Education, 37(1), 32–38. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2923.2003.01405.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, S., Cleland, J., & Macleod, M. J. (2006). Stress, debt and undergraduate medical student performance. Medical Education, 40(6), 584–589. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2929.2006.02448.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sawatzky, R., Gadermann, A., & Pesut, B. (2009). An investigation of the relationships between spirituality, health status and quality of life in adolescents. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 4(1), 5–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sawatzky, R., Ratner, P. A., & Chiu, L. (2005). A meta-analysis of the relationship between spirituality and quality of life. Social Indicators Research, 72(2), 153–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schieman, S. (2011). Education and the importance of religion in decision making: Do other dimensions of religiousness matter? Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 50(3), 570–587.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, S. L., Schwartz, G. E., & Bonner, G. (1998). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical and premedical students. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 21(6), 581–599.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, K., Anderman, S. J., & Schrimshaw, E. W. (2001). Religion and coping with health-related stress. Psychology and Health, 16(6), 631–653.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spilka, B., Shaver, P., & Kirkpatrick, L. A. (1985). A general attribution theory for the psychology of religion. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 24(1), 1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, S. M., Betson, C., Lam, T., Marshall, I., Lee, P., & Wong, C. (2009). Predicting stress in first year medical students: A longitudinal study. Medical Education, 31(3), 163–168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, S. M., Lam, T., Betson, C., Wong, C., & Wong, A. (1999). A prospective analysis of stress and academic performance in the first 2 years of medical school. Medical Education, 33(4), 243–250. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2923.1999.00294.x.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sutantoputri, N. W., & Watt, H. M. G. (2012). Attribution and motivation: A cultural study among Indonesian university students. International Journal of Higher Education, 1(2), 118–129. doi:10.5430/ijhe.v1n2p118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weiner, B. (2010). The development of an attribution-based theory of motivation: A history of ideas. Educational Psychologist, 45(1), 28–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whoqol, SRPB Group. (2006). A cross-cultural study of spirituality, religion, and personal beliefs as components of quality of life. Social Science and Medicine, 62(6), 1486–1497. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.08.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zullig, K. J., Ward, R. M., & Horn, T. (2006). The association between perceived spirituality, religiosity, and life satisfaction: The mediating role of self-rated health. Social Indicators Research, 79(2), 255–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express sincere appreciation to Mandy Tan, Kritan Chand and Avinesh Pillai, and fourth- and fifth-year medical students for their valuable input and support. We also found the erudite comments made by Associate-Professor Papaarangi Reid in the planning stage very valuable and constructive.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

    Marcus A. Henning & Andrea Thompson

  2. Department of Psychology, AUT University, Private Bag 92006, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

    Christian Krägeloh

  3. School of Business, AUT University, Private Bag 92006, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

    Richard Sisley

  4. ELearning Pedagogical Support Unit, Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Iain Doherty

  5. Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

    Susan J. Hawken

Authors
  1. Marcus A. Henning
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christian Krägeloh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Andrea Thompson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Richard Sisley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Iain Doherty
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Susan J. Hawken
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marcus A. Henning.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Henning, M.A., Krägeloh, C., Thompson, A. et al. Religious Affiliation, Quality of Life and Academic Performance: New Zealand Medical Students. J Relig Health 54, 3–19 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-013-9769-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-013-9769-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation