Religion and Health

Correction to: Assessing Spiritual Well-Being in Residential Aged Care: An Exploratory Review The original publication of this article (Drummond and Carey 2018) contained a missing reference in the “Results” section, second paragraph (p. 382). The corrected text has been given below.

Correction to: Relationship Between Care Burden and Religious Beliefs Among Family Caregivers of Mentally Ill Patients The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake in the author name. The co-author name should be Reza Masoudi instead of Reza Masoodi.

Religion, Spirituality and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A Matched Case–Control Study and Meta-Analysis Abstract Although the association between religion/spirituality (R/S) and psychological outcomes is well established, current understanding of the association with cardiovascular disease remains limited. We sought to investigate the association between Islamic R/S and coronary heart disease (CHD), and place these findings in light of a meta-analysis. In this case–control study, 190 cases with non-fatal CHD were identified and individually matched with 383 hospital-based controls. R/S was measured by self-administered 102 items questionnaire. A tabular meta-analysis was performed of observational studies on R/S (high level versus low level) and CHD. In addition, a dose–response meta-analysis was conducted using generalized least-squares regression. Participants in the top quartile had decreased odds of CHD comparing to participants in the lowest quartile of religious belief (OR 0.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06–0.59), religious commitment (OR 0.36, CI 95% 0.13–0.99), religious emotions (OR 0.39, CI 95% 0.18–0.87), and total R/S score (OR 0.30, CI 95% 0.13–0.67). The meta-analysis study showed a significant relative risk of 0.88 (CI 95% 0.77–1.00) comparing individuals in high level versus low level of R/S. In dose–response meta-analysis, comparing people with no religious services attendance, the relative risks of CHD were 0.77 (CI 95% 0.65–0.91) for one times attendance and 0.27 (CI 95% 0.11–0.65) for five times attendance per month. R/S was associated with a significantly decreased risk of CHD. The possible causal nature of the observed associations warrants randomized clinical trial with large sample size.

Christian Spirituality and Smartphone Addiction in Adolescents: A Comparison of High-Risk, Potential-Risk, and Normal Control Groups Abstract The goal of this study was to compare aspects of Christian spirituality such as God’s image and sense of spiritual well-being among three groups: the high-risk, potential-risk and normal control groups for smartphone addiction. Participants were: 11 adolescents in the high-risk group for smartphone addiction; 20 adolescents who were potentially at risk of smartphone addiction, and 254 adolescents who were in the normal control group. The results showed that the high-risk group for smartphone addiction adolescent group showed low levels of spiritual well-being and positive image of God comparing to those in the potential-risk and control groups. Each group had specific and distinctive features. Consideration of potential clinical interventions, limitations of the current study, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Dharmic Religions and Health: A Holistic Analysis of Global Health Literature Related to Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism Abstract Bibliometrics and scientometrics are popular and novel disciplines providing information in publication trends in a certain academic field. Although there has been an increasing popularity in bibliometric studies, a limited number of reports have been published in religion and health literature. In this study, to the best of our knowledge we aimed to perform a first bibliometric analysis in the health literature related to Dharmic religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. We found a total of 655 health articles related to Dharmic religions as we searched Web of Science databases. The United States of America (USA) ranked first in Health and Hinduism literature with 62 documents followed by India, the UK and Bangladesh (n = 40, 33 and 6, respectively). A detailed keyword analysis revealed that the most used keywords in the field of Hinduism and health were “Hinduism,” “religion,” “spirituality” and “Islam.” The USA was also the leading county in the literature of Buddhism and Health with 159 articles (32.78%) and followed by Thailand, the UK and China (10.72, 6.8 and 6.39%, respectively). The Journal of Religion and Health was noted to be the most prolific source in this field. We found that the developing countries such as India, Thailand, Singapore and Taiwan were found to be included in the most productive countries list on the contrary to previous bibliometric studies in health and religion field.

Celebrating Sabbath as a Holistic Health Practice: The Transformative Power of a Sanctuary in Time Abstract Sabbath-keeping has several holistic health benefits when done for intrinsic reasons. Most research on Sabbath-keeping is about individuals where Sabbath-keeping is customary. This organic inquiry describes how a Sabbath promoted transformation for ten women where Sabbath-keeping was not the norm. Six themes emerged: Sabbath-keeping enhanced self-awareness, improved self-care, enriched relationships, developed spirituality, positively affected the rest of a Sabbath-keeper’s week, and Sabbath-keeping practices and philosophies also evolved over time. The author argues that reviving the best parts of Sabbath-keeping is an effective, accessible, holistic practice that can contribute to the well-being of individuals, communities, and the earth.

Religion, Culture and Meaning-Making Coping: A Study Among Cancer Patients in Turkey Abstract The present paper looks at the influence of culture on Turkish cancer patients’ use of meaning-making coping, paying particular attention to religious, spiritual, and existential coping methods. Data were collected using an interview study (n = 25, 18 women, age range 20–71). Individuals were recruited at an oncology center and a psychiatry clinic in Istanbul. The main focus of the study has been on existential meaning-making coping, which is characterized by finding power inside oneself, altruism, family love, a search for meaning by contemplating philosophical issues, and having a positive life perspective (shukran—thankfulness). In contrast to findings from similar studies conducted in other countries (studies included in the same project), in Turkey religious belief directly determines the coping methods used, including the non-religious methods.

Perceived Discrimination and Major Depression and Generalized Anxiety Symptoms: In Muslim American College Students Abstract Prior research has found that Muslim Americans’ discrimination experiences are associated with increased risk of mental health problems. However, few studies have included Muslim American college students or identified moderators of this relationship. Among a sample of Muslim American college students (N = 141), the current study found that perceived discrimination was positively associated with MD and GAD symptom severity. Having a strong Muslim American identity exacerbated the relationship between perceived discrimination and GAD symptoms. The findings support practices to reduce discrimination toward Muslim American college students and the need for outreach to students with a strong Muslim American identity.

Relationship Between Care Burden and Religious Beliefs Among Family Caregivers of Mentally Ill Patients Abstract Families are considered as primary sources of care for individuals suffering from mental disorders. However, one of the major stresses in families is the infliction of a family member with mental illnesses causing dysfunction in health dimensions or generally their quality of life. Currently, most experts believe that religion can affect physical health and other aspects of human life. So, the aim of this study was to investigate “the relationship between care burden and religious beliefs among family caregivers of mentally ill patients.” This cross-sectional study was carried out in Iran on 152 families with mentally ill patients who were hospitalized in psychiatric wards. The sampling method was nonprobability and consecutive sampling method. The data collection instruments included a demographic characteristic questionnaire, Religious Beliefs, and Zarit Care Burden Questionnaires. The mean score for care burden was 30.99 (SD = 16.45). 5.9% of the participants reported a low level, and 39.5% experienced a moderate level of care burden. Moreover, the mean score for religious beliefs was 115.5 (SD = 13.49), and majority of the participants (70.4%) were endowed with strong religious beliefs. There were no significant associations between care burden and intensity of religious beliefs among the study samples (P = 0.483). Considering the results of this study indicating experience of moderate-to-high levels of care burden in families with mentally ill patients, it is recommended to consider such families and their religious beliefs as contributing factors in coping with challenges of mental disorders.

Changes and Predictors of the Sense of Meaning in Life in Polish University Students Participating in Psychological Workshops Communication–Forgiveness–Love Abstract The aim of this study was to determine changes in the sense of meaning in life of university students who participated in psychological workshops “Communication–Forgiveness–Love”. The study evaluated 33 university students from first-cycle and second-cycle studies in physical education in the Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw. The Reker’s Life Attitude Profile-Revised Questionnaire, Social Competencies Questionnaire (KKS) by Matczak, Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (INTE) by Schutte et al. and the Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaire GHQ-28 were used. The study found that psychological workshops can be effective in instilling the sense of meaning in life in university students, especially those from first-cycle studies. The workshops can produce more benefits to students with worse mental status and with lower social competencies.