The Effect of an Islamic-Based Intervention on Depression and Anxiety in Malaysia

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Saged A. A. G., Sa'ari C. Z., bin Abdullah M., Al-Rahmi W. M., Ismail W. M., Zain M. I. A., ...More

JOURNAL OF RELIGION & HEALTH, vol.61, no.1, pp.79-92, 2022 (AHCI) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 61 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2022
  • Doi Number: 10.1007/s10943-021-01484-3
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF RELIGION & HEALTH
  • Journal Indexes: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, ATLA Religion Database, CINAHL, EMBASE, Index Islamicus, MEDLINE, Psycinfo
  • Page Numbers: pp.79-92
  • Keywords: Anxiety, Depression, Allah's forgiveness, Remembrance, Religious intervention, COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY, DISTRESS, RELIGION, GROWTH
  • Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University Affiliated: No

Abstract

Religiously integrated interventions for treating mental illnesses have proved effective. However, many studies have yet to adequately address the effects of Islamic religious-based rituals on mental health among Muslims. The present study investigated the impact of a purposefully designed Islamic religion-based intervention on reducing depression and anxiety disorders among Muslim patients using a randomised controlled trial design. A total of 62 Muslim patients (30 women and 32 men) were divided by gender into two groups, with each group assigned randomly to either treatment or control groups. The participants who received the Islamic-based intervention were compared to participants who received the control intervention. Taylor's (cite date) manifest anxiety scale and Steer and Beck's (cite the date) depression scale were used to examine the effects on depression and anxiety levels. ANCOVA results revealed that the Islamic intervention significantly reduced anxiety levels in women (d = 0.75) and depression levels in men (d = 0.80) compared to the typical care control groups.