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The Factor Structure of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale in Veterans Experienced Chemical Weapon Exposure

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Abstract

This study aimed to determine the factor structure of the spiritual well-being among a sample of the Iranian veterans. In this methodological research, 211 male veterans of Iran–Iraq warfare completed the Paloutzian and Ellison spiritual well-being scale. Maximum likelihood (ML) with oblique rotation was used to assess domain structure of the spiritual well-being. The construct validity of the scale was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Reliability was evaluated with Cronbach’s alpha, Theta (θ), and McDonald Omega (Ω) coefficients, intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), and construct reliability (CR). Results of ML and CFA suggested three factors which were labeled “relationship with God,” “belief in fate and destiny,” and “life optimism.” The ICC, coefficients of the internal consistency, and CR were >.7 for the factors of the scale. Convergent validity and discriminant validity did not fulfill the requirements. The Persian version of spiritual well-being scale demonstrated suitable validity and reliability among the veterans of Iran–Iraq warfare.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude to the patients who participated in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing and Midwifery Amol, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Hamid Sharif Nia & Bahram Tahmasbi

  2. Taylor’s Business School, Taylor’s University Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Malaysia

    Saeed Pahlevan Sharif

  3. Graduate School of Education, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK

    Christopher Boyle

  4. Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Ameneh Yaghoobzadeh

  5. University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing - WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing Research Development, Jundiaí, Brazil

    G. Hussein Rassool

  6. School of Nursing and Midwifery Razi, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

    Mozhgan Taebei

  7. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran

    Mohammad Ali Soleimani

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  1. Hamid Sharif Nia
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Correspondence to Mohammad Ali Soleimani.

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Sharif Nia, H., Pahlevan Sharif, S., Boyle, C. et al. The Factor Structure of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale in Veterans Experienced Chemical Weapon Exposure. J Relig Health 57, 596–608 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0458-1

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