مجله پژوهش در دین و سلامت
سال چهارم شماره 5 (زمستان 1397)

An important type of well-being, which is more valuable and critical than other ones, is spiritual well-being. Other types of well-being are in fact the prerequisite of achieving spiritual well-being and utilizing spiritual virtues that are accepted by any human being. Indeed, spiritual well-being is directly associated with the bliss in the world and the hereafter. Thus, it is more precious than other types of well-being. In this regard, heart is considered the container of spiritual well-being (1). The notion of heart mentioned in the Quran is different from the pectoral heart shaped inside humans’ chest. It has therefore been described as a container which is capacious and limited at the same time and can be the cause of guidance or misleading (2). In the Quran, the concept of heart refers to humans’ soul (3-5), which is not physical and constitutes a major portion of human being. It encompasses humans’ personality, beliefs, ethics, and spiritual well-being (6). As a result, the Quran has referred to heart disease, which is totally different from physical diseases that humans may suffer from. A sick heart is the one that is not a mirror of the truths of existence and does not reflect divine manifestations; a healthy heart, on the contrary, does have these capabilities (7). Furthermore, a sick heart is inclined toward debauchery and goes beyond divine limits under the influence of evil temptations (1). Many of the social, ethical, and cultural anomalies that are witnessed nowadays have their roots in the sick heart. As a matter of fact, heart is the main focus of human spirit and can cause human happiness or hardship. Therefore, paying attention to heart cleanliness and its role in achieving spiritual well-being, the way this type of well-being can be achieved, and strategies that should be followed to improve it can impact other types of well-being, hence leading to well-being for the whole society.

One of the critical periods in youth is the studentship period, which is a dynamic transitional period. Several factors can influence university students’ psychological health. They can be generally divided into personal, university, and social factors. The purpose of this study is to compare the cognitive emotion regulation, locus of control and meaning in life of native and non-native students in Mohaghegh Ardabili University. The method of this study is causal-comparative. Statistical population of this study comprised all native and non-native students in Mohaghegh Ardabili University in the year 2015. From among this population, 100 students (50 native students and 50 non-native students) were selected as sample by convenience sampling method. The used tools were Granefski et al.’s cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire, Rutter’s locus of control survey and Steger’s meaning in life questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed through multivariate analysis of variance. All ethical issues were observed in this study and the researchers declared no conflict of interests. The results showed that the average score of external locus of control among non-native students was significantly higher than that of native ones. Furthermore, the mean score of internal locus control was significantly lower for non-native students (p<0.001). Additionally, compared to their non-native counterparts, native students used a larger repertoire of positive emotions and efficient strategies (acceptance, positive refocusing, refocus on planning, positive reappraisal, putting into perspective) (p<0.001). Also, native students registered significantly higher scores in terms of meaning in life in comparison with the non-native students (p<0.001). According to the obtained results, their frequent use of internal locus of control, positive cognition, emotion, and more frequent search for life indicate the better psychological condition and performance of non-native students. It is therefore essential to pay attention to these aspects and try to develop them.

Women who head households constitute one of the most vulnerable groups in the society. They are exposed to social discrimination and psychological pressures more frequently than other groups of women. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of prayer on perceived stress of women heading households supported by Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation. A pretest-posttest design with control group was adopted in this quasi-experimental study. The statistical population of the study included all the women heading households supported by Imam Khomeini Relief Committee in Rasht in 2015-2016. Thirty women were selected from this population through convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to the experimental (15 individuals) and control group (15 participants). The experimental group underwent 8 sessions of prayer training. Cohen et al.’s perceived stress questionnaire was used for data gathering. The collected data were analyzed by covariance statistical method. All ethical issues were observed in the study and the researchers declared no conflict of interests. The findings indicated that women in the experimental group had a significantly lower level of stress than their counterparts in the control group. Thus, the research hypothesis (i.e. prayer training is effective in reducing perceived stress among women heading households) was confirmed (p<0.01). Taken together, prayer training has a significant effect on declining perceived stress of women heading households.

Cancer is accompanied with psycho-social aspects that require complementary spiritual/religious interventions along with medical interventions for treating these patients. Thus, the present study aimed at examining the effect of religious/spiritual interventions on the inner strength of women suffering from breast cancer. This study adopted a quasi-experimental design with pretest and posttest in three groups–namely experimental, placebo, and control. Convenience sampling was used to select 41 participants out of the women referring to Omid radiotherapy and chemotherapy center, and Bandar-Abbas specialized clinics from Mehr 95 through Tir 96. The participants were randomly assigned to experimental (14 persons), placebo (14 persons), and control (13 persons) groups. The experimental group underwent individual spiritual/religious intervention in 10 sessions and the placebo group was exposed neutral training, while the control group received no treatment. Data were collected by questionnaires on inner strength and demographic features in pretests and posttests and analyzed through repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance. All ethical issues were observed in this study and the researchers declared no conflict of interests. The findings indicated significant differences between the intervention group and placebo/control group in terms of the rise of inner strength, and the subscales of Engagement, Connectedness, Anguish and Searching, and Movement (p<0.05). Based on the findings, as a complement to typical medical cares, individual spiritual/religious intervention has positive effects on internal power and its subscales in women suffering from breast cancer. It is possible to use this intervention to enhance the psychological status in cancer treatment.

Religious beliefs constitute one of the crucial factors in human life and can have a marked effect on his mental health. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between religious attitudes and psychological symptoms in pregnant women referring to Urima health centers in 1395. This descriptive, cross-sectional adopted a correlational design. In this study, 350 pregnant women referring to health centers in rural and urban areas of Urmia in the fourth quarter of 1395 were selected through two-stage random cluster sampling. The instrument used for data collection comprised 3 parts : The first part, which was aimed to gather demographic information, had 8 questions; the second part had 25 questions and was intended to assess the participants’ religious attitudes; and the third part contained 25 items measuring the participating women’s depression, anxiety and stress. After explaining the purpose of study and gaining the participants’ consent, questionnaires were administered among them. The data were analyzed through carrying out t-test, chi-square, linear regression and Pearson's correlation coefficient. All ethical issues were observed in the study and the researchers declared no conflict of interests. The results indicated a significant inverse correlation between religious attitudes, on the one hand, and depression, anxiety and stress, on the other hand. This shows that with the rise of religious attitudes, depression, anxiety and stress are reduced in pregnant women (P<0.001). The findings also displayed significant, positive associations between depression, anxiety and stress. This means that higher degrees of depression will result in more anxiety and stress (P<0.001) According to the obtained results, stronger religious attitudes can improve the mental health of pregnant women.

Despite their technological advances over the past decades, human beings have not yet achieved the peace of mind, which is the foundation for a happy life as recommended by the World Health Organization. It is therefore essential to pay attention to religious teachings, especially the Holy Quran, to achieve mental health. This study aimed to compare the mental health of Quran-memorizers and non-memorizers. In this case-control study, which was conducted in 2015, 101 of Quran-memorizers from Gorgan (Northern Iran) and 102 non-Quran memorizers were compared in terms of mental health. Convenience sampling method was used to select Quran-memorizers. Also, the members of non-memorizers’ group were selected by matching the participants’ age and gender with those of their counterparts in the Quran-memorizers’ group. The data were gathered through the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and analyzed using statistical tests (i.e. Kolmogorov–Smirnov, Mann-Whitney, and One way ANOVA). The significance level was considered 0.05. All ethical issues were observed in this study and the researchers declared no conflict of interests. According to the findings, total General Health in the Quran-memorizers’ group was better than that of the non-memorizers (P=0.012). Moreover, Quran non-memorizers showed more symptoms of anxiety and sleep disorders (P=0.031). There was also a significant difference between the two groups in terms of depression symptoms (P<0.001). The results indicate that Quran-memorizers had better scores in some scales of general health (mental health) than non-memorizers in the control group. Thus, memorization of Quran can be effective in promoting mental health.

Nowadays, scientists of different fields pay a special attention to spirituality as a transcendent aspect of every person’s life. Several studies have shown that personality traits and spiritual intelligence are two structures that affect each other. The aim of this study was to predict the spiritual intelligence of senior high school students in Bostanabad based on personality traits. This descriptive study adopted a cross-sectional design. The statistical population of the study consisted of all male senior high school students in Bostanabad in the 1395-96 educational year. 180 students were selected by multi-stage cluster random sampling. King’s Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory and NEO Personality Inventory were used for collect data. The gathered data were analyzed using descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (correlation coefficient and multiple regressions). All ethical issues were observed in this study and the researchers declared no conflict of interests. The results of Pearson correlation coefficients showed that there were significant correlations between spiritual intelligence and the four factors of extroversion, openness to experience, pleasure and conscientiousness. On the other hand, neuroticism had a negative significant correlation with spiritual intelligence (p<0.001). Also, the results of regression analysis showed that conscientiousness, openness to experience, and pleasure could significantly predict students’ spiritual intelligence (P<0.01). The results of the research show a close relationship between personality and spiritual intelligence. Accordingly, education officials, psychologists and counselors can use these results to enhance students’ personality and their spiritual excellence.

Divorce is a social and family crisis that leads to the collapse of family bonds. The present study aimed at examining the association between religious commitment and marital stability among divorce-seeking and normal couples in Tehran. This study adopted a causal-comparative design. The statistical population included all divorce-seeking and normal male and female spouses in southern Tehran. The participating individuals were selected randomly. In this study, the sample size was 250 (150 men and 100 women), out of which 100 people had applied for divorce and 150 were non-applicants. To gather the data, Religious Commitment Questionnaire and Marital Instability Index Questionnaire were used. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistical techniques (mean and standard deviation) and regression. All ethical issues were observed in this study and the researchers declared no conflict of interests. The findings showed the regression coefficient of the relationship between intrapersonal religious commitment and marital instability was -0.27, while that for the association between interpersonal religious commitment and marital instability was -0.34. Religious commitment at interpersonal and intrapersonal levels increases flexibility in relations between couples and reduces marital instability.

Research shows individuals' Life Regard and God image can be effective in preventing the vulnerability to physical and mental consequences of psychological disorder. The purpose of this study was to compare the God image and Life Regard in transsexual individuals after sex change surgery with those of their counterparts before the surgery. The general design of the study was descriptive and correlational. Sixty five individuals with gender identity disorder were selected from among transsexual individuals in Iran using snowball sampling. Some of the participants had undergone sex surgery, while others had not. God Insight Scale and Life Regard Index were administered among the individuals. All ethical issues were observed in this study and the researchers declared no conflict of interests. The results of data analysis showed that transsexuals who had changed their sex received significantly higher scores in the God image Scale and the Life regard Index. Also, there were significant differences between the two groups in terms of the sub-scale mean scores. However, there was no measurable discrepancy between the scores of two groups with respect to their gender and educational level. Working on individuals' God image and life regard can modify some maintenance and resonator factors of gender identity disorder and can be effective in their treatment.

Despite the fact that the mission statement of Islam has been defined as achievement of happiness in this world and the afterlife, humans have come to understand the significance of spiritual well-being in recent years. In many verses, the Quran is introduced as “healing”. As a pioneer study in this area, the current research aimed to examine how the use of the Quran may enhance spiritual well-being among university students. The ultimate goal was to propose some strategies to improve spiritual well-being. This study adopted a pretest-posttest design and utilized the Spiritual Well-Being Scale developed by Paloutzian and Ellison for data collection. The participants (N=63) were divided into two groups. To provide intervention to improve spiritual well-being, the members of the first group were advised to recite the Quran twice a week when they were sad, while the members of the second group were invited to listen to the Quran recitation twice a week, each time for ten minutes, when they felt down. The time interval between the pretest and posttest was three months. Levene test, chi-square, paired-samples t-test, analysis of covariance, and one-way analysis of variance were employed for data analysis. All ethical issues were observed in this study and the researchers declared no conflict of interests. Based on the results of the pretest, the mean scores of spiritual well-being of participants in the recitation and listening groups were 87.88±18.12 and 90.74±14.48 respectively. The same mean scores in the posttest rose to 94.09±13.719 and 95.30±12.135 in the same order. The university students therefore enjoyed a moderate level of well-being. Furthermore, age, gender, major, marital status, illness, and employment status were significantly associated with spiritual health (p<0.001). Finally, it was discovered that Quran recitation, in which a pretest-posttest mean score difference of 6.21 was recorded, was found to be a more effective intervention than listening (R=0.959, p<0.001). Reciting the Quran and listening to it both improve spiritual health among university students. The results of paired-samples t-test indicated a significance rise in the participants’ spiritual well-being mean score from the pretest to the posttest (p<0.001). According to the results of analysis of covariance, however, no significant difference was detected between recitation of and listening to the Quran in terms of their effect on well-being (f=0.931 and p=0.338). Thus, it can be argued that reciting the Quran and listening to it both can enhance the spiritual well-being score, with the former registering a more profound effect.

To meet the growing need for food and drugs to improve quality of life, new technologies (e.g. biotechnology and genetic engineering) have attracted politicians and food producers worldwide. Aberrant application of these technologies could cause irreparable consequences that can be life threatening. Changes of genetic entity for improvement and reconstruction of the creation for usage in modern world are main topic under consideration in these technologies. However, there are many controversies for their application in the world. In this study, by reviewing the Quran, Hadiths, and articles, we tried to provide a discussion on limitations, justifiability or illegality of the creation change. The researchers observed all ethical issues in the study and declared no conflict of interests . The provided data showed that change in the creation occurs naturally in the physical dimension, in contrast to the spiritual view, and seems to be allowable provided by the preserve of the entity of the creation. With respect to the ethical issue and nature of the creatures, manipulation of the creation for the sake of their improvement in function and activity toward normal status seems to be allowable.

From the viewpoint of psychologists, creation of human from birth to death has various stages, namely fetus, childhood, adolescence, youth, middle age, and old age. Apart from biological and cognitive features, these stages have particular social and emotional characteristics which transcend individuals. Imams (PBUT) have paid particular attention to educational recommendations for different ages due to their special characteristics. In this regard, the recommendations of Imam Ali (PBUH) considering ways of treating children, adolescents, and young people indicate his awareness of the difference in physical, cognitive and psychological characteristics and age-specific needs of individuals. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of examining the developmental stages of human in Nahj al-Balaghah from Imam Ali's viewpoints and that of psychology. This study has adopted an analytical-library approach. After studying different books of psychology and Nahj al-Balaghah, the developmental stages of human, and its different characteristics were described. Books from the Islamic and religious sciences, especially those related to the words of Imam Ali in Nahj al-Balaghah as well as books related to the developmental psychology, and articles related to the religious field and psychology were used. During this research, all ethical issues were observed and authors reported no conflict of interests. The findings of psychologists such as Piaget, Eriksson in different embryonic, childhood, adolescence, youth and old age periods are in line with the statements of Imam Ali in Nahj al-Balaghah. From his point of view, each of the stages of development has a special sensitivity that needs to be addressed. The developments in hereditary, social context, psychological and physical factors, and prenatal and postnatal stages were taken into account .In order for individuals to succeed in these stages of growth, beside proper nutrition and a rich environment, education and training tips are very influential. In addition to psychological approaches, in Nahj al-Balaghah issues such as parent-child relationships, making friends, marriage, and communication with the elderly have been pointed out.