Predicting Nurses’ Mental Health: The Role of Cognitive Fusion and Forgiveness

In addition to having the problems of other students, nursing students also have the mental and emotional pressures of the hospital environment, dealing with patients’ issues and problems, and for this reason, they are more at risk of losing their mental health than other students. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the role of cognitive fusion and forgiveness in predicting the mental health of nursing students.

Methods and Materials: 

The present study was a descriptive correlation type. The research population included all nursing students of Azad University of Birjand in the academic year of 2022-2023, 225 people were selected by stratified random sampling; and answered the questionnaires of Gilanders et al. (2014), Thomson et al. (2005) and Goldberg (1972). Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22 and Pearson correlation test and multiple regressions.

The results showed that the correlation between fault (r = 0.279) and cognitive fusion (r = 0.474) with positive mental health, but the correlation between forgiveness (r = -0.552) with negative and mental health was significant. (P <0.01).  Cognitive fusion components also explain 24.1% and forgiveness components 36.6% of the variance of mental health.

The results of the research showed the importance of the role of cognitive fusion and forgiveness in the mental health of nursing students, therefore, it is necessary for hospital managers to take necessary measures to reduce cognitive fusion and promote the forgiveness of nursing students.