The Relationship Between Critical Thinking Disposition and Self-Esteem in Midwifery Students

Background Students’ personal characteristics are among the factors influencing the development of their critical thinking. Self-esteem is a normal influencing personality trait. Self-esteem affects all the aspects of individuals’ lives including the way of their thinking and performance. Objectives Therefore, the current study aimed to determine the relationship between critical thinking disposition and self-esteem in the midwifery students of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 2014. Methods This cross sectional study was carried out on all bachelor students (N = 53) of the Mashhad Nursing and Midwifery Faculty. Data were collected through a personal information form, the Rosenberg’s self-esteem questionnaire, and the California critical thinking disposition questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS through descriptive statistical methods and a Pearson correlation coefficient test. Results The vast majority of students (62.26%) had an unsteady critical thinking disposition. However, 84.90% of them had a moderate level of self-esteem. Pearson correlation test showed no significant relationship between critical thinking disposition and self-esteem (P > 0.05). Conclusions According to the study results, the vast majority of the study cases had a moderate level of self-esteem with an unsteady critical thinking disposition. There was no significant relationship between critical thinking disposition and self-esteem in the studied midwifery students.