Religiosity, spiritual health, and volunteer functions among health volunteers in Saveh, Iran: A cross-sectional study

Introduction Voluntary activities promoting humanitarian values foster personal growth and may be influenced by religiosity and spiritual health as motivating factors . This study aimed to examine the relationship between volunteer functions, religiosity, and spiritual health among health volunteers. Materials & methods In this analytical cross-sectional study, data from 324 health volunteers in Saveh, Iran, were analyzed. Data were collected using standardized instruments, including the Paloutzian and Ellison Spiritual Health Scale, the Glock and Stark Religiosity Scale, and the Volunteer Functions Inventory. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 26). The Mann–Whitney test, Spearman correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data. Results A significant positive relationship was found between volunteer functions and both spiritual health (ρ = 0.26 [95% CI = 0.16 to 0.36], p < 0.001) and religiosity (ρ = 0.40 [95% CI = 0.30 to 0.49], p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that, after controlling for socio-demographic variables, both spiritual health and religiosity significantly and positively predicted the total volunteering function score. Religiosity (B = 0.801, β = 0.326, 95% CI for B: 0.492 to 1.110, p < 0.001) was a stronger predictor than spiritual health (B = 0.402, β = 0.144, 95% CI for B: 0.062 to 0.743, p = 0.021). Conclusion Spiritual health and religiosity appear to be positively associated with volunteer functions. Understanding these dimensions may provide valuable insights for volunteer management and policymaking aimed at fostering community-oriented engagement, though longitudinal studies are warranted to assess causal mechanisms.