Effect of Group Religious Intervention on Spiritual Health and Reduction of Symptoms in Patients with Anxiety
Published: October 1, 2018 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2018/36291.12097
Masoud Nikfarjam, Kamal Solati, Saeid Heidari-Soureshjani, Parvin Safavi, Elham Zarean, Elham Fallah, Iraj Goudarzi
1. Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Islamic Research Committee, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
2. Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Islamic Research Committee, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
3. Deputy. Research and Technology, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
4. Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Islamic Research Committee, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
5. Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Islamic Research Committee, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
6. Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry, Islamic Research Committee, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
7. Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Islamic Research Committee, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
Correspondence
Dr. Saeid Heidari-Soureshjani,
Deputy of Research and Technology, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
E-mail: heidari_62@yahoo.com
Introduction: Anxiety is a disease which, in addition to the complications affecting the health of patients, imposes a high burden on health care systems.
Aim: To determine the effectiveness of a group religious intervention on spiritual health and reduction of symptoms in patients with anxiety.
Materials and Methods: In the present clinical trial, 72 patients with anxiety were included in the study with convenience sampling. Patients were randomly divided into two groups; Group I underwent drug therapy alone, and Group II underwent drug therapy+religious intervention. The religious intervention group attended 5 sessions of 90 minutes at 3-week intervals and was administered with routine drug therapy. Then, the participants filled out the demographic questionnaire, Spiritual Well-being Scale and the Spielberger State-State anxiety Inventory. After data collection, the data were analysed by SPSS 18.
Results: There was no significant difference between the demographic characteristics of patients (p>0.05). The mean scores of religious and existential aspects of spiritual wellbeing and general spiritual health after intervention were significantly higher in Group II than in Group I (p<0.05). The mean scores of trait anxiety scores, state anxiety, and general anxiety after intervention were significantly lower in Group II than in Group I (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Religious intervention, in addition to increasing the level of spiritual health of the patients, improves their anxiety symptoms.
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