Journal of Religion & Health最新文献

Islam allows for polygamy under conditions of justice and ability. However, many doubt the ability to engage in polygamy for fear of unexpected and substantially challenging consequences in the future. To help individuals understand themselves, the polygamy anxiety scale (PAS) was developed. This study aimed to collect items referring to the PAS from previous theoretical literature. The items were evaluated by experts (N = 21) and were shortened to 33 items. Two different types of samples were obtained. The first sample (N = 427) was used to verify the validity of the exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The results revealed that four factors explained 71% of the total variance. The items were distributed according to financial, family, physical, and personal factors (28 items). The second sample (N = 389) was used to verify the CFA, convergent validity, and reliability. In addition, four factors were confirmed using CFA. This result was consistent with the standard. Additionally, the results revealed that all correlations between the PAS score and future marriage anxiety, general anxiety, self-esteem and marital adjustment were statistically significant. Cronbach's alpha values for the four factors ranged between 0.86 and 0.79, and the total score was 0.90. Finally, the correlations between the PAS scores and the four factors were statistically significant. The study concluded that PAS is suitable for Muslims who desire polygamy and can be used to enhance mental health and protect families, children, and wives.

Spirituality care plays an important role in holistic healthcare. Our previous study found Muslim psychiatric inpatients encounter significant obstacles that hinder their ability to engage in a formal prayer practice in the hospital. To address this gap, we aimed to develop a spirituality and religious needs inventory specifically for Muslim psychiatric inpatients. Findings from our previous study informed the construction of the inventory items. The developed inventory underwent rigorous validation, including expert appraisal, factor analysis, and reliability testing. The results indicate that our Islamic Spirituality and Religious Needs Inventory possesses robust validity and reliability metrics. We recommend that healthcare professionals employ this inventory as a resource for bedside evaluations and a foundation for future research endeavors within spiritual care for Muslim inpatients.

We report the case of a 63-year-old man with impaired fasting glucose who was unable to lose weight, engage in exercise or omit refined carbohydrates from his diet until he initiated the Mantram Repetition Program (MRP). Four months following implementation, the patient had lost weight and fasting glucose levels decreased to near normal. These parameters continued to improve at nine months. The patient attributed his success to the adjunctive mantram repetition program which also improved his mood and wellbeing. Implementation of the MRP may be a useful adjunct to promote lifestyle changes in patients with mental health diagnoses.

Earthquakes are natural disasters that cause physical, psychological, social, and environmental damage. Due to the intense psychological impact, victims of earthquakes may associate a fatalistic approach with religion as a mechanism for seeking protection. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between religious health fatalism and healthy lifestyle behaviors among earthquake victims. A comparative analysis was conducted based on sociodemographic factors to compare average scores. A total of 175 individuals who were affected by the earthquakes that occurred in Türkiye in 2023 participated in this descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational study. The total Religious Health Fatalism Questionnaire score of the earthquake victims was 54.89 ± 14.68 and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale-II score was 130.14 ± 19.68. Significant correlations were found between religious health fatalism and healthy lifestyling behaviors of the participating individuals (p < 0.05). It was determined that the independent variables explained 35.7% of the RHFQ score (R² = 0.357) and 16% of the HLBS-II scale score (R² = 0.160). Earthquake victims were found to have higher than average levels of religious health fatalism.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between spiritual well-being and hopelessness levels in individuals who have experienced myocardial infarction. The study, which was descriptive and exploratory, was conducted on patients who had experienced myocardial infarction and undergone angiography in the coronary intensive care unit and cardiology ward of Ağrı Education and Research Hospital. The population of the study consisted of 151 patients who had experienced myocardial infarction and undergone angiography between December 2022 and February 2023. Data were collected using a Demographic Information Form, Spiritual Well-Being Scale, and Beck Hopelessness Scale. This study highlights the significance of the transcendent subscale of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale, as it is unaffected by indicators of mental health. Findings revealed that higher transcendent subscale scores were associated with lower hopelessness levels in individuals who had experienced myocardial infarction. Body mass index, family type, marital status, and fulfilling religious duties when healthy were significantly associated with spiritual well-being and hopelessness. These results underscore the importance of considering transcendent aspects when evaluating spiritual well-being in this population. Furthermore, a strong negative correlation was found between spiritual well-being and hopelessness levels in individuals who had experienced myocardial infarction. Higher levels of spiritual well-being were significantly associated with lower levels of hopelessness. This study provides valuable insights into the relationship between spiritual well-being and hopelessness in post-myocardial infarction patients. However, limitations relevant to this study, including its single-center design and cross-sectional nature, are also noted.

The health implications of engaging in risk-taking or protective behaviors can have long-lasting effects on an individual's life. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in how religious attitudes and beliefs influence an individual's health behaviors. However, research on the role of the God Locus of Health Control (GLHC) in the religion-health literature is lacking. Data was derived from a national US sample (n = 1,259) via a cross-sectional survey exploring health attitudes and practices, and important sociocultural factors (e.g., religious beliefs). Results indicated that higher scores on the GLHC scale were associated with greater risk-taking behaviors that included having driven drunk, driving without a seatbelt, being a current tobacco user, and not using sunscreen. Higher GLHC scores were also associated with the protective behaviors of taking allergy medication and washing one's hands. These results indicated some variation by race/ethnicity, with African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos typically being more risk-averse. Further empirical theoretical implications are discussed.

Spirituality is widely recognized as a potential moderator of the adverse effects of hemodialysis on mental health. Understanding its impact on mental health in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world, however, remains a significant research gap. Hence, this study aims to explore the correlations between spirituality, anxiety, and depression among Saudi Arabian patients undergoing hemodialysis. Using a cross-sectional design, 121 hemodialysis patients were recruited. Self-administered surveys were employed to capture demographic data, as well as a Depression and Anxiety Scale, and a Spiritual Well-being Scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics, along with multivariate regression, were utilized to analyze the data. Results show that the majority of respondents (77.7-87.6%) report moderate levels of religious well-being (RBW) and existential well-being (EWB), while 76.8-15.7% showed low-to-moderate levels of depression, respectively. Additionally, 20.7% of patients experienced moderate-to-severe anxiety. Significant negative correlations were found between RWB/EWB and depression (r =  - 0.459, r =  - 0.601, p < 0.001, respectively) and between RWB / EWB and anxiety (r =  - 0.341, r =  - 0.536, p < 0.001). The RWB accounted for 54.9% of the religious score variance, showing a strong correlation with existential score (β = 0.655, p < 0.001), but not with anxiety or depression. Similarly, the EWB accounted for 63.7% of the EWB variance, showing a correlation with religious score (β = 0.528, p < 0.001) and anxiety score (β =  - 0.199, p < 0.05), but not with depression. In contrast, the depression explained 71.2% of the variation in depression scores, as well as showing strong correlations with anxiety (β = 0.663, p < 0.05). The anxiety accounted for 66.8% of the variance in anxiety scores, with depression being a significant predictor (β = 0.763, p < 0.001). This study highlights the importance of integrating spirituality into holistic care for hemodialysis patients because its presence positively influences both mental and physical health outcomes.

This article details the religious experiences of family caregivers in living with and caring for people with chronic illnesses in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This phenomenological study conducted in-depth interviews with 20 family caregivers recruited from Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, who accompanied their loved ones during medical appointments or hospital stays. It used a thematic analysis to analyze the collected data. The findings revealed that religious practices and services serve as a crucial coping resource for families who often take the caregiving burden for people with chronic illnesses. The widely held belief is that health, illness, and healing are intricately linked to spiritual practices or wicked deeds. This perspective often leads family caregivers with chronic illnesses to seek spiritual support from religious institutions as a functional equivalent rather than relying solely on medicine. They usually participate in rituals, like prayer, fasting, bathing with or drinking holy water (tsebel), seeking healing for physical pain, comfort for emotional tolls, and social support for companionship and other relational resources. Religious services are available in Addis Ababa regardless of religious background, ensuring the absence of religious barriers. Families often prioritize their loved one's health by seeking healing services in various places. This inclusivity allows accessing support without feeling excluded for their beliefs, creating welcoming environments for all religions. This approach to caregiving enables families to feel a sense of control and hope during uncertainty. The article highlights that incorporating religious practices into caregiving enhances well-being, improves health outcomes, and boosts social and emotional support.

This study tests the application of the HEXACO among Catholic priests and the power of this six factor model of personality to predict scores on the Francis Burnout Inventory among priests. Data provided by 264 priests serving in Italy lead to two conclusions. In this population three of the six scales of the HEXACO failed to display adequate levels of internal consistency reliability (emotionality, agreeableness, openness to experience). High scores of extraversion and conscientiousness predicted higher scores of satisfaction in ministry. Low scores of extraversion, conscientiousness, and honesty and humility predicted higher scores of emotional exhaustion in ministry. The role of the honesty and humility factor in predicting negative affect but not positive affect supports the balanced affect model of professional burnout that views positive and negative affect as partly independent systems.