The Correlation Between Media Literacy and Reflective Thinking with the Reduction of Addiction Risk in Female Students: The Mediating Role of Spiritual Health

Background: Today, media literacy and reflective thinking are emphasized as an important preventive strategy against drug abuse. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore how spiritual health mediates the relationship between media literacy and reflective thinking in lowering addiction risk among female students.Methods: In a descriptive-correlational study, 315 female students were selected using convenience sampling techniques at the University of Zanjan, Iran, from April 2021 to November 2021. They were asked to complete the Media Literacy Questionnaire (MLQ), Reflective Thinking Questionnaire (RTQ), Addiction Risk Assessment (ARA), and Spiritual Health Scale (SHS). The data was then analyzed using SEM conducted by SPSS Amos version 24.Results: Preliminary findings indicated a significant negative correlation between addiction risk and both media literacy (r=-0.33, P=0.001) and spiritual health (r=-0.36, P=0.001), with reflective thinking acting as a critical factor in enhancing media literacy’s protective effect. Spiritual health was regarded as a mediating variable in this study. The results demonstrated that spiritual health effectively mediated the relationship between media literacy and reflective thinking, affecting addiction risk among female students (P=0.001).Conclusions: This study revealed a significant negative correlation between addiction risk and both media literacy and spiritual health, where reflective thinking plays a crucial role in enhancing the protective effect of media literacy on addiction risk, with spiritual health acting as a mediating variable.