Religion and mental health: a narrative review with a focus on Muslims in English-speaking countries

Examining recovery and mental health service satisfaction among young immigrant Muslim women with mental distress in Quebec

OBJECTIVE

The overall aim of this study was to understand the experiences and perspectives of immigrant Muslim women in Quebec living with mental illness, who have recently used formal mental health services such as an accredited therapist, psychologist, or clinician. Specific objectives included (i) eliciting and examining their self-identified barriers and facilitators to recovery; (ii) exploring links between religion and mental health; and (iii) self-reported satisfaction with mental health services received.

METHODS

We adopted a qualitative approach, facilitating the prioritization of participant perspectives. This involved semi-structured interviews with 20 women who (i) identified as Muslim; (ii) had used mental health services in the last three years; and (iii) were 18 + years of age. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis techniques.

RESULTS

Three prominent themes emerged from the analysis. These themes were (i) stigma and misunderstandings in families (especially parents) and sometimes in the ethno-religious community, both acting as barriers to health service utilization and recovery; (ii) frustrating clinical experiences within formal mental health care settings, in particular a perceived lack of cultural and religious competence, which negatively affected service utilization and the development of a therapeutic alliance; and (iii) deeply-held religious beliefs, practices and trust in God imparting a rhythm, purpose and meaning, which were strong facilitators to recovery.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

These findings suggest that recovery from mental illness can be advanced by a three-pronged approach in this population. First, anti-stigma mental health literacy interventions could be held in collaboration with Muslim community groups. Second, there is a need for further religious and cultural competence interventions, resources and trainings for mental health professionals working with Muslims. Third, self-care resources should be developed that harness aspects of religious practices that can give structure, meaning, purpose and hope. All this could ultimately foster recovery in this population.

"Religious Coping Fosters Mental Health": Does Psychological Capital Enable Pakistani Engineers to Translate Religious Coping into Mental Wellbeing?

Turning toward religion to make sense of and cope with challenging circumstances is an area of interest for many recent researchers working on wellbeing and mental health. The present study extends this interest by assessing whether psychological capital explains the association between religious coping and mental wellbeing in Pakistani engineers. Psychological capital was assessed from four factors, namely optimism, resilience, hope, and self-efficacy. A sample of 501 Muslim engineers from Pakistan (M age = 33.41, SD = 6.37 years) was assessed on measures of religious coping, psychological capital, and mental wellbeing. Results from correlation and a multimediation model showed that positive religious coping was positively predictive of mental wellbeing and psychological capital; however, negative religious coping remained insignificant for mental wellbeing. Further analysis showed that of four psychological capital factors, only self-efficacy explained the positive association between positive religious coping and mental wellbeing. Implications of the findings along with future directions have been discussed.

Religious minority identity associates with stress and psychological health among Muslim and Hindu women in Bangladesh and London

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the association of minority religious identification (Hindu or Muslim) with self-reported stress and psychological symptoms among sedentee and immigrant Bangladeshi women.

METHODS

Women, aged 35-59 (n = 531) were drawn from Sylhet, Bangladesh and London, England. Muslim immigrants in London and Hindu sedentees in Sylhet represented minority religious identities. Muslim sedentees in Sylhet and Londoners of European descent represented majority religious identities. In bivariate analyses, minority religious identity was examined in relation to self-reported measures of stress, nervous tension, and depressed mood. Logistic regression was applied to examine the relationship between these variables while adjusting for marital status, parity, daily walking, and perceived financial comfort.

RESULTS

In bivariate analyses, religious minorities reported more stress than religious majorities in all group comparisons (p < .05), and minority Muslims reported more nervous tension and depressed mood than majority Muslims (p < .05). In logistic regression models, minority Muslims had greater odds of high stress than majority Muslims (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.18-3.39). Minority Muslims had greater odds of stress (OR 3.05, 95% CI 1.51-6.17) and nervous tension (OR 3.37, 95% CI 1.66-6.87) than majority Londoners. Financial comfort reduced odds of stress and symptoms in all models.

CONCLUSIONS

Socioeconomic situation, immigration history, and minority ethnicity appear to influence the relationship between religious identity and psychosomatic symptoms in Bangladeshi women. Attention to personal and socioeconomic context is important for research examining the association between religion and mental health.

The prevalence of and perception toward mental illness: a cross-sectional study among Indonesian mental health nurses

BACKGROUND

The emergence of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic has affected nurses' mental and psychological health. This study investigates the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among Indonesian mental health nurses and their perception of mental illness.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted shortly before the height of the Covid-19 outbreak in Indonesia. The data were collected using the 21 items of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), the questionnaire on perception toward mental illness, and demographic information.

RESULTS

Approximately 2.5%, 6.5%, and 1.9% of the nurses had the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. The vast majority of them perceive that society should treat well people with mental illness (94.8%) and that the government should protect them (94.8%). More than half also believe that they can eat anything but seldom get physically ill (62.1%) and that in Islam, people with mental illness are innocent and are destined for paradise (61.1%).

CONCLUSIONS

A considerably low prevalence of mental distress was discovered, which might be attributed to the nurses' implementation of mental health skills and effective coping mechanisms. Further training and awareness-raising campaigns are needed to address their misconceptions about mental illness.

The impact of religiousness and beliefs about mental illness on help-seeking behaviors of Muslim Americans

BACKGROUND

In addition to the typical challenges of daily life, Muslim Americans have experienced high levels of stress and clinical disorders relating to discrimination from the 9/11 attacks and ongoing political stigma. Despite mounting mental health concerns, Muslim Americans have encountered multifaceted barriers to accessing mental health services and remain underserved.

AIMS

This study sought to explore the relationship between religiousness and beliefs about mental illness among Muslim Americans to predict their clinical help-seeking attitudes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present study gathered a nationwide sample of Muslim Americans through online data collection to assess how the relationship between religiousness and help-seeking was mediated by acculturation and biomedical beliefs about mental illness.

RESULTS

Analyses found that Islamic religiousness and biomedical beliefs predicted more openness to mental health treatment. Additional analyses found that integration with mainstream culture was correlated with higher confidence in services.

DISCUSSION

The findings of this study provide clinicians a nuanced understanding of how biological beliefs about mental illness may align with Islamic spiritual values and foster culturally responsive communication and healthcare. Barriers to treatment may be addressed for males and other underserved demographics through integrated treatment that recognizes their understandings of health, illness, and treatment.

CONCLUSION

Overall, results of the study provide support for recognizing religion along with demographic background as a cultural consideration to enhance treatment efficacy.

Prayers and Mindfulness in Relation to Mental Health among First-Generation Immigrant and Refugee Muslim Women in the USA: An Exploratory Study

The goal of our study was to explore how first-generation immigrant/refugee Muslim women experience prayer and mindfulness in relation to their mental health. Participants were nine women from an urban city in the Midwestern USA. The women completed a structured demographic survey and a virtual semi-structured interview in a focus group. Using qualitative thematic analysis, we obtained four overarching themes from the data: (a) Prayer helps to build community, (b) Prayer promotes wellbeing, (c) Prayer increases faith, and (d) Prayer encourages intentional awareness. The findings demonstrate that prayer involves awareness and has a strong influence on the mental health of the women participants.

Spiritual Struggles of Nones and ‘Spiritual but Not Religious’ (SBNRs)

Spiritual struggles are a distinct problem which have implications for psychological, social, emotional and physical health. They are not unique to religious persons; instead both the religiously unaffiliated (Nones) and those who call themselves “Spiritual but not Religious,” (SBNR) have struggles with existential issues common to all humans, and which can be identified as “spiritual”. Nones are a very diverse group and different types of Nones struggle differently. This qualitative study, based on interviews in North America with over 100 Nones, particularly SBNRs, explains the types of spiritual struggles, with many examples and illustrative quotes. Nones’ key struggles are in the areas of Self and Self-in-Relation. This is a vastly under-researched topic which will only grow in importance, given the rapid and continuing rise of the None population. The topic is of concern to social scientists, but is equally important for psychologists, counselors, medical personnel, chaplains and others in the helping professions given that Nones will come to them for assistance.