Medical students perceptions of spiritual care

Introduction This study aimed to assess medical students’ perceptions of spiritual care using a culturally adapted Muslim-context version of the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS). Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 470 medical students at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang. Participants were selected and data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Statistical analyses included independent t -tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and multivariate linear regression. Results The mean total spiritual care perception score was 76.11 (SD = 7.02; range 54–90), indicating generally positive perceptions. Female students had significantly higher scores than males (76.59 ± 7.02; p = 0.032; CI (95%) −2.82; −0.13). A weak positive correlation was found between age and perception scores ( r = 0.153, p = 0.001). Academic year was significantly associated with perception scores ( p = 0.005), with clinical-stage students showing the highest mean scores (77.36 ± 7.17; CI (95%) 0.75;5.87). However, in multivariate analysis, only gender remained a significant predictor ( p = 0.035). Discussion These findings suggest that demographic factors, particularly gender, are associated with variations in medical students’ perceptions of spiritual care. The results highlight the importance of integrating spiritual care education into medical curricula. The generalizability of these findings is limited due to the single-institution design. However, the comprehensiveness of the analyses and the multiple characteristics (academic years and clinical stages) of the respondents within large sample size in this study provide a basis for further use of this result.