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Religiousness and Mental Health: Systematic Review Study

AbdAleati NS, Mohd Zaharim N, Mydin YO

J Relig Health, 2016 Dec;55(6):1929-37.
PMID: 27654836 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-014-9896-1

Many people use religious beliefs and practices to cope with stressful life events and derive peace of mind and purpose in life. The goal of this paper was to systematically review the recent psychological literature to assess the role of religion in mental health outcomes. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using medical and psychological databases on the relationship between religiosity and mental health. Seventy-four articles in the English and Arabic languages published between January 2000 and March 2012 were chosen. Despite the controversial relationship between religion and psychiatry, psychology, and medical care, there has been an increasing interest in the role which spirituality and religion play in mental health. The findings of past research showed that religion could play an important role in many situations, as religious convictions and rules influence the believer's life and health care. Most of the past literature in this area reported that there is a significant connection between religious beliefs and practices and mental health.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Psychology*
Women and health: female circumcision

Hosken F

WIN News, 1978;4(4):39-44.
PMID: 12335629
Matched MeSH terms: Religion*
Religion and mental health among older adults: ethnic differences in Malaysia

Tan MM, Su TT, Ting RS, Allotey P, Reidpath D

Aging Ment Health, 2021 11;25(11):2116-2123.
PMID: 32741203 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2020.1799939

OBJECTIVES: Religion and spirituality gain importance as a person ages. Research has shown that religion has a salutary effect on mental health, and it is associated with health differently across ethnic groups. The current study examined ethnic differences in the association between religion and mental health among older adults in a predominantly Muslim population and multicultural setting.
METHODS: Data of 7068 participants (4418 Malays, 2080 Chinese and 570 Indians) aged ≥55 years that were collected as part of the community health survey conducted in 2013 in the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO) were analyzed using bivariate and multiple regressions. Analyses were stratified by ethnicity.
RESULTS: The importance of having an enriched religious/spiritual life was associated with higher scores of depression, anxiety and stress among Chinese and higher score of depression among Malays, while belief in a higher power was associated with better mental health among Malays, Chinese and Indians.
CONCLUSION: The current study showed that there were ethnic variations in the associations between religion and mental health, and the associations depended on the religious variable included in the analysis. The findings of this study showed that religion could be another potential channel to improve mental health among older adults by accommodating and understanding their religious beliefs.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion*
Fulltext Investigation of the key factors that influence the girls to enter into child marriage: A meta-synthesis of qualitative evidence

Kohno A, Techasrivichien T, Suguimoto SP, Dahlui M, Nik Farid ND, Nakayama T

PLoS One, 2020;15(7):e0235959.
PMID: 32678862 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235959

In this study, we synthesized findings from qualitative studies to identify the key factors that influence child marriage. We used a meta-ethnographic approach coupled with thematic synthesis. We searched literature from nine databases, which were in English language, covering areas in public health, psychology, and social science between 2008 and 2018. Twelve studies were included in the synthesis. We identified six main themes: human insecurity and conflict; legal issues; family values and circumstances; religious beliefs; individual circumstances, beliefs, and knowledge; and social norms. Our findings highlight the impact of human insecurity and conflict, as well as legal issues. In spite of global progress scaling up legislation against child marriage, the legal framework is insufficiently enforced in many settings. Most of the included studies were from the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. Studies from other parts of the world such as Latin America and Southeast Asia, which have the highest rates of child marriage, are needed.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion
Fulltext Life After Death in a Chinese Community

MOHD HAFIZOL AMIN BIN RAMLI, NUR AMELIA BINTI MAZLAN, SITI AIDA BINTI AZMI, MUHD SARJI BIN AWANG BULAT, PARVEEN KAUR

Trends in Undergraduate Research, 2018;1(1):0-0.
MyJurnal

According to San Fillipo (2006), death is not the end of one’s existence, but rather than a transition from one life to another. However, it is different based on how the society and individuals see the concept of death itself and how they understand about it. Thus, this article aims to explore the understanding of the relationship between culture and religion that become their identity in terms of death and life after. Qualitative approach is adopted for this study. Indeed, interview and empirical observation were used to obtain quality data.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion
Fulltext The effect of faith-based smoking cessation intervention during Ramadan among Malay smokers

Ismail S, Abdul Rahman H, Abidin EZ, Isha AS, Abu Bakar S, Zulkifley NA, et al.

Qatar Med J, 2016;2016(2):16.
PMID: 28293538 DOI: 10.5339/qmj.2016.16

Objectives: To study the effects of a faith-based smoking cessation intervention during Ramadan among Malay male smokers working in public offices. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study conducted during Ramadan 2015. The intervention was developed based on the constructs within the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The intervention intended to increase the intention and the perceived behaviour control to stop smoking among Muslim smokers during Ramadan. The outcomes measured were changes in the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence score and saliva cotinine levels. Data were collected at baseline (5 days before Ramadan), during Ramadan (21st day of Ramadan) and post-Ramadan (21 days after Ramadan). Statistical tests to examine changes within and between groups were carried out and the significance level was set at p

Matched MeSH terms: Religion
Fulltext The influence of religious belief and sociocultural on breastfeeding practice: a literature review

Nurul Akma Jamil

The Malaysian Journal of Nursing, 2018;9(4):79-85.
MyJurnal

Socio-cultural poses as the enabler and barrier in breastfeeding practice. A review of published literature
was conducted and a total of 25 articles were reviewed to seek the answer: How religious belief and
sociocultural influence breastfeeding practice? Published articles were identified through electronic
searches of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Google scholars and IIUM Repository within timeframe of 2011
to 2017. Through this searching, three key themes were identified: religious views on breastfeeding,
sociocultural perspectives and challenges. A comprehensive understanding on religious recommendation
and cultural influence would benefit in the reconstruction of breastfeeding promotion and education
program.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion
Fulltext The role of religion in mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic: the Malaysian multi-faith perspectives

Tan MM, Musa AF, Su TT

Health Promot Int, 2022 Feb 17;37(1).
PMID: 33928389 DOI: 10.1093/heapro/daab041

Social distancing is crucial in breaking the cycle of transmission of COVID-19. However, many religions require the faithful to congregate. In Malaysia, the number of COVID-19 cases spiked up from below 30 in February 2020 to more than a thousand a month later. The sudden increase was mostly linked to a large Islamic gathering attended by 16,000 near the capital, Kuala Lumpur. Another large COVID-19 cluster was from a church gathering in Kuching, Sarawak. Within a few weeks, Malaysia became the worst hit country by COVID-19 in Southeast Asia. While religious leaders have advised social distancing among their congregants, the belief that "God is our shield" is often cited for gathering. There is a need to promote sound decision-making among religious adherents so that they will not prioritize their loyalty to the subjective interpretation of religion over evidence-based medicine. Malaysia, a multi-cultural and multi-faith country, is an example of how religious beliefs could strongly influence health behaviours at individual and community levels. In this article, we detail the religious aspects of COVID-19 prevention and control in Malaysia and discuss the possible role of religious organizations in encouraging sound decision-making among religious adherents in mitigating this crisis. We make recommendations on how to promote a partnership between the healthcare system and religious organizations, and how religion and faith could be integrated into health promotion channels and resources in the response of COVID-19 and future communicable diseases.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion
Fulltext Religious affiliation and suicidality among college students in China: A cross-sectional study across six provinces

Lew B, Kõlves K, Zhang J, Zhizhong W, Koenig HG, Yip PSF, et al.

PLoS One, 2021;16(5):e0251698.
PMID: 34010317 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251698

BACKGROUND: Several past studies indicated that religious beliefs, orientation, and practice are protective of suicide. Findings from recent studies in China suggest that religiosity may contribute to increased suicidality. However, few studies have examined the associations between religious affiliation across different faiths and suicidality in China.
OBJECTIVE: The current study examines the association between religious affiliation and suicidality among college students in six provinces in China.
METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 11,407 college students from six universities in Ningxia, Shandong, Shanghai, Jilin, Qinghai, and Shaanxi. We collected the data between October 2017 and March 2018 using self-report questionnaires. They included self-report measures of depression, psychache, hopelessness, self-esteem, social support, and life purpose.
RESULTS: Participants with a Christian affiliation had 1.5 times (95% CI: 1.14, 1.99, p = 0.004) higher odds of indicating an elevated suicide risk, 3.1 times (95% CI: 1.90, 5.04, p<0.001) higher odds of indicating a previous suicide attempt, and increased overall suicidality (B = 0.105, p < 0.001) after accounting for demographic and risk/protective factors. Christians also scored the highest in depression, psychache, hopelessness, and the lowest social support, self-esteem, and purpose in life. Muslims reported decreased suicidality (B = -0.034, p = 0.031). Buddhism/Daoism yielded non-significant results in the multivariate analyses.
CONCLUSIONS: Christian college students reported increased suicidality levels, perhaps due to public policies on religion. The decreased suicidality levels among Muslims may be attributed to higher perceived social support. The associations between religious affiliation and suicidality, depression, and hopelessness contrast sharply with US samples. This finding may be influenced by interactions between the religious denomination, individual, and social/political factors. This conclusion includes the possibility of anti-religious discrimination, which this paper did not investigate as a possible mediator and therefore remains a conjecture worthy of future investigation.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion*; Religion and Psychology*
Validity and Reliability Analysis of the 'SayangKU' (MyLove) in Intervention for Addressing Adolescents Involved in Free Sex

Ghani FA, Latif AA, Aziz AA, Khan A

J Relig Health, 2015 Aug;54(4):1375-86.
PMID: 25189148 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-014-9935-y

A module entitled 'SayangKU' (MyLove), based on the Islamic perspective, was developed as an instrument to assist adolescents that involved in premarital sexual activity. The module comprises four phases: Love of God (Allah), Love of the Prophet, Love of Oneself, and Love of the Ummah (world). From analysis of Rasch, the value of item reliability was .80 and an individual reliability was .95. Dimensionality value was more than 40 % variance explained by measures, and level of agreement among experts was 86.88 %. The posttest shows the better result from pretest and proves the effectiveness of the module.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Sex*
Stress Symptoms Among Adolescent: A Study from Islamic Perspective

Sham FM

J Relig Health, 2015 Aug;54(4):1278-85.
PMID: 24807209 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-014-9866-7

Rapid social changes in current times which can be quite abrupt present a challenge to adolescent life. Adolescents who are unable to adapt themselves experience stress which may affect their health. Psychological issues of adolescents require attention because the long-term consequence is worse than the short-term effects, namely, there will be a group of people within society who live under stress. Stressed people show symptoms such as being aggressive, prone to rebel, uncontrollable anger, depression, mental disorders and health problems. Early recognition of adolescent stress symptoms is vital. Pursuant to this, a study is conducted among adolescents in Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia for the purpose of determining whether they experience stress or otherwise, based on stress symptoms in terms of psychology, physiology and social behaviour. An analysis is conducted on 403 respondents who comprise of male and female adolescents aged 16-17 years. The required data are gathered through questionnaire and structured interview. Analysis is based on descriptive statistical method and is explained in a table in terms of frequency, percentage and mode. Research results show that adolescents do experience stress and that the majority of them exhibit psychological stress symptoms.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Psychology*
Measuring religiosity and its effects on personal well-being: a case study of Muslim female academicians in Malaysia

Achour M, Grine F, Mohd Nor MR, MohdYusoff MY

J Relig Health, 2015 Jun;54(3):984-97.
PMID: 24770892 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-014-9852-0

This study seeks to measure religiosity in an Islamic context and to assess its effects on the personal well-being of Muslims. The determinants of religiosity included under this research are prayer, beliefs, and worship. This research also attempts to examine the coping strategies Muslims use to deal with life problems and changes such as prayer, supplication, trust and reliance on God, remembrance of death, and concept of life after death. Today, many scales of religiosity are being put into use among Muslims. This study measures religiosity and its effects on the well-being of Muslim academicians. The researchers used 315 Muslim female of academic staff as respondents, working in Research Universities in the Klang Valley such as University of Malaya, National University and Putra University area of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Their ages ranged from 30 to 60 years. The results of this study show that there exists a positive yet significant correlation between personal well-being and religiosity. The well-being also shows significant positive correlations with beliefs and worship and prayer.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Psychology*
Islamic approach in counseling

Hanin Hamjah S, Mat Akhir NS

J Relig Health, 2014 Feb;53(1):279-89.
PMID: 23563898 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-013-9703-4

A religious approach is one of the matters emphasized in counseling today. Many researchers find that there is a need to apply the religious element in counseling because religion is important in a client's life. The purpose of this research is to identify aspects of the Islamic approach applied in counseling clients by counselors at Pusat Kaunseling Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Sembilan (PKMAINS). In addition, this research also analyses the Islamic approach applied in counseling at PKMAINS with reference to al-Quran and al-Sunnah. This is a qualitative research in the form of case study at PKMAINS. The main method used in this research is interview. The research instrument used is interview protocol. The respondents in this study include 9 counselors who serve in one of the counseling centers in Malaysia. This study also uses questionnaire as an additional instrument, distributed to 36 clients who receive counseling service at the center. The findings of the study show that the Islamic approach applied in counseling at PKMAINS may be categorized into three main aspects: aqidah (faith), ibadah (worship/ultimate devotion and love for God) and akhlaq (moral conduct). Findings also show that the counseling in these aspects is in line with Islamic teachings as contained in al-Quran and al-Sunnah.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Psychology*
In response to "suicide and ethnicity in Malaysia"

Babu GR

Am J Forensic Med Pathol, 2011 Jun;32(2):e15.
PMID: 21540724 DOI: 10.1097/PAF.0b013e318219c81b
Matched MeSH terms: Religion*
Darurah (Necessity) and Its Application in Islamic Ethical Assessment of Medical Applications: A Review on Malaysian Fatwa

Isa NM

Sci Eng Ethics, 2016 10;22(5):1319-1332.
PMID: 26358749 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-015-9698-1

The discovery and invention of new medical applications may be considered blessings to humankind. However, some applications which might be the only remedy for certain diseases may contain ingredients or involve methods that are not in harmony with certain cultural and religious perspectives. These situations have raised important questions in medical ethics; are these applications completely prohibited according to these perspectives, and is there any room for mitigation? This paper explores the concept of darurah (necessity) and its deliberation in the formulation of fatwas on medicine issued by the National Fatwa Council of Malaysia. Darurah has explicitly been taken into consideration in the formulation of 14 out of 45 fatwas on medicine thus far, including one of the latest fatwas regarding uterine donation and transplantation. These fatwas are not only limited to the issues regarding the use of unlawful things as remedies. They include issues pertaining to organ transplantation, management of the corpse and treatment of brain dead patients. While deliberation of darurah in medicine may vary from issue to issue, darurah applies in a dire situation in which there are no lawful means to prevent harm that may be inflicted upon human life. Nevertheless, other aspects must also be taken into the deliberation. For example, consent must be obtained from the donor or his next of kin (after his death) to conduct a cadaveric organ transplantation.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Medicine*
The effects of stereotyping on impression formation: cross-cultural perspectives on viewing religious persons

Chia EK, Jih CS

J Psychol, 1994 Sep;128(5):559-65.
PMID: 7983612

We examined the effects of stereotyping on impression formation when encountering people dressed to represent a religious faith. We used stimulus photographs of eight male and female models dressed casually and a second photograph of one male and one female model in religious attire that was placed beside the control photos of models dressed causally. From each set of photographs, subjects selected a photo of the person with whom they would associate the various positive personality traits suggested by our stimulus questions. Subjects were students from a U.S. Catholic school, a U.S. public school, and a Malaysian Muslim school. All the subjects attributed more of the positive traits to photos of the models who were religiously attired than to photos of those who were casually dressed, but subjects from U.S. schools attributed more of the positive traits to the photos of religiously dressed models than did the subjects from the Malaysian school.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Psychology*
Religious psychotherapy as management of bereavement

Azhar MZ, Varma SL

Acta Psychiatr Scand, 1995 Apr;91(4):233-5.
PMID: 7625203

This study was aimed at determining the effect of psychotherapy in patients in bereavement. Fifteen patients in a control group were given brief psychotherapy and 15 study group patients received psychotherapy with a religious perspective. The patients in the study group showed consistently significant improvements as compared with the control group at the end of 6 months. The results indicate that highly religious patients with grief and bereavement tend to improve faster when a religious psychotherapy is added to a cognitive-behaviour approach.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Psychology*
Effects of fasting in Ramadan on tropical Asiatic Moslems

Husain R, Duncan MT, Cheah SH, Ch'ng SL

Br J Nutr, 1987 Jul;58(1):41-8.
PMID: 3620437

1. Anthropometric variables, resting heart rate and respiratory gas exchange were measured in twelve male and nine female Asiatic adult Moslems during the month of Ramadan, the week before and the month after Ramadan. 2. Energy intakes were estimated from dietary recall during fasting and non-fasting conditions. 3. Both male and female subjects experienced a decrease in body mass with the reduction in energy intake during fasting. Males experienced a greater reduction than females in resting heart rate; females lost more body-weight and subcutaneous fat than males. 4. Urine output and fluid intake were measured in twelve male subjects for 1 d during each week of fasting and 1 d during the pre-fasting control period. Among the subjects examined, the Ramadan regimen did not result in changes in the pattern of fluid exchange.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion*
Fulltext Exorcism and psychiatric illness. Two case reports

Maniam T

Med J Malaysia, 1987 Dec;42(4):317-9.
PMID: 3454406

Traditional methods of treatment are extremely popular with Malaysians especially for psychiatric illnesses. Those who seek such treatment come from all cultures, social classes and different educational levels in this country. In one hospital as much as 49% of psychiatric patients had been to traditional healers . Some receive simultaneously traditional and modern modes of treatment. While many reports have been written on traditional healers such as the bomoh and spirit mediums, relatively less is written about Christian healers who practise exorcism. This paper describes two patients who had received psychiatric diagnoses of major illnesses, and who subsequently underwent Christian exorcism. The process of exorcism and the short-term and long-term outcome are reported.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Medicine*
Fulltext The effect of Ramadan fasting on fasting serum glucose in healthy adults

Larijani B, Zahedi F, Sanjari M, Amini MR, Jalili RB, Adibi H, et al.

Med J Malaysia, 2003 Dec;58(5):678-80.
PMID: 15190653

The effect of Ramadan fasting on fasting serum glucose (FPG) is still a matter of controversy. One hundred and fifteen healthy volunteers fasted for > or = 25 days during Ramadan. Blood samples were taken 1 week before Ramadan and on the 14th and 28th day of Ramadan. Serum glucose was determined by the glucose oxidase method. FPG decreased from 88.4 + 9.0 mg/dl to 62.9 +/- 7.7 mg/dl (p < 0.001). Men and women both experienced a significant drop in FPG. Calorie intake decreased in all groups (p < 0.001) and was positively correlated with decreasing FPG. FPG decreases with Ramadan fasting and has no serious adverse effect on fasting adults.

Matched MeSH terms: Religion and Medicine*

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