Search Results (212)

Background: Depression and anxiety are highly prevalent among medical students and may adversely affect academic functioning and professional development. Early identification of these symptoms and their associated factors is therefore essential. Religiosity has been suggested as a potential modifier of mental health outcomes, although existing evidence remains inconsistent. This study aimed to assess symptoms of depression and anxiety, levels of religiosity, and their associations among medical students. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students at the University of Osijek, Croatia, from 29 September to 5 October 2025. Anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale, depressive symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and religiosity using the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL). Results: A total of 260 students (197 females, 63 males) completed the survey. At least mild depressive and anxiety symptoms were reported by 54.2% and 58.1%, respectively; 9.2% had moderately severe or severe depression, and 25% reported moderate to severe anxiety. Suicidal or self-harm ideation in the past two weeks occurred in 12.8%. Female students had higher median depression (p = 0.01) and anxiety scores (p = 0.005) than male students; however, these differences did not remain statistically significant after Bonferroni correction. Religiosity was not associated with PHQ-9 or GAD-7 scores after correction; however, categorical analyses indicated that students with moderate to high religiosity more frequently reported moderate to severe depressive symptoms (p = 0.037). Conclusions: The high prevalence of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation underscores the need for continuous mental health screening, early identification of risk factors, and implementation of preventive programs among the student population, particularly medical students as future healthcare professionals. Full article

Background/aim: Despite the fact that qualitative research on postpartum depression (PPD) has been extensively researched globally, women’s perceptions of PPD misconceptions are mostly ignored in developing countries like Jordan. Thus, this study aims to explore Jordanian women’s sociocultural perceptions and misconceptions about PPD using the descriptive phenomenological design. Methods: Fourteen women who had either a normal or caesarean (C-section) delivery and resided in Irbid, Northern Jordan, participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews, which lasted 15 to 25 min in May 2025. Data were gathered via field note transcriptions of interviews, and analysis followed Colaizzi’s data analysis methodology. Results: Among participants, five women (all C-section deliveries) reported a PPD diagnosis, while the remaining normal delivery women reported experiencing depression before giving birth. The women’s sociocultural perceptions and misconceptions about PPD were found to be reflected in a number of themes. The theme “perceiving PPD as normal baby blues” captures the general lack of awareness regarding this disorder. Three important themes—“myths”, “psychological”, and “spiritual and religious failure”—show how little is known about the causes. The two primary themes that are impacted by sociocultural perspectives are “stigma” and “mistrust of professional care services”. The accuracy and misconceptions around this disorder are summed up in four basic themes: “emotional misconceptions”, “cultural misconceptions”, “false beliefs about health”, and “think of PPD as indolence”. Conclusions: Jordanian women have limited understanding and misconceptions of PPD. Adopting culturally relevant awareness campaigns is essential to disseminating the knowledge required to facilitate improved treatment pathways. Full article

In the history of Turkish-Islamic culture, every stage of human life—from birth to death—has been ritualized with profound symbolic and spiritual meanings. Turkish religious music has functioned as a fundamental element in these transitional phases, possessing both aesthetic and devotional dimensions. In individual rites of passage such as naming, circumcision, beginning school, and marriage, as well as in collective rituals such as bidding farewell to and welcoming Hajj pilgrims or observing religious days and nights, Turkish religious music has held a significant place. Confronting death—an inevitable and sorrowful reality of life—Turkish society has employed religious music as a consolatory and spiritually guiding medium, transforming it into a ritual mode of expression intended to soften the disruptive impact of death and to give meaning to the mourning process. Sufi order funerals represent one of the manifestations of this aesthetic depth. In this context, (Janāza) funeral ceremonies are not merely occasions of farewell but also rites of metaphysical acceptance and surrender. Since death is considered not an end but “wuṣlat,” that is, reunion with the Absolute Truth (al-Ḥaqq), within Sufi thought, the funeral rites of Sufi orders have been shaped accordingly. In Mawlawī, Bektāshī, Jarrahī, and Rifāʿī orders, not only the canonical funeral prayer (ṣalāt al-janāza) but also various forms of religious music are performed, imparting both aesthetic and spiritual depth to the ceremony. This study aims to examine the religious musical practices present in the funeral ceremonies of these four major Sufi orders, all of which have historically maintained a close relationship with music. A qualitative ritual-musicological approach has been adopted; semi-structured interviews were conducted with the Shaykh of the Rifāʿī order, the Zakirbaşı of the Jarrahī branch of the Khalwatī order, and a Dede of the Bektāshī order. The data sources of the study consist of interview materials, archival-based works, literature on the history of Sufism, sources on Turkish religious music, and digital recordings of Sufi orders’ funeral rituals. The limited number of interviews were analyzed through thematic analysis, while textual analysis and contextual interpretation were employed to examine in detail “the musical forms, thematic structures, performance contexts, and symbolic functions” present in these rituals. Preliminary findings indicate that the music unique to Sufi order funerals fulfills multiple functions, including “spiritual consolation, strengthening social solidarity, doctrinal expression of belief in the afterlife, and transforming mourning into a sacred experience.” The funeral traditions of the four orders examined possess distinctive musical structures, and these structures constitute an identifiable aesthetic form within the Ottoman and Turkish religious-musical tradition. It has also been determined that the repertory performed in Sufi orders’ funeral ceremonies is largely rooted in the tekke (Sufi lodge) musical tradition and that various forms of Turkish religious music are prominently represented in these rituals. This study has brought to light the religious musical repertory performed within the funeral rituals of Sufi orders—an area that has remained insufficiently explored to date—and has demonstrated that this repertory exerts positive psychosocial effects on both Sufi adherents and other participants in their approach to death. In this respect, the study sheds light on the repertory of Turkish religious music and offers an original contribution to the scholarly literature. Full article

This paper investigates the complex interrelation between national identity and religion in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), moving beyond binary conceptualizations by integrating multiple forms of national belonging, religiosity, and spirituality. Drawing on data from the Pew Research Center’s Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe survey across 16 post-communist countries, we performed a k-means cluster analysis that identifies a robust threefold typology of national identity—nationalist, ethnic, and patriotic—arranged along a continuum from exclusivist to inclusive orientations. The nationalist type combines patriotic pride and respect for the country’s laws and institutions with an emphasis on ethnic origin and cultural superiority, and represents the most exclusionary form of national identification. The ethnic type remains exclusivist through its emphasis on ancestry, but lacks chauvinistic elements. The patriotic type, by contrast, embodies an open, non-exclusivist orientation that links national pride to respect for the country’s laws and institutions, while rejecting ethnic criteria of belonging and chauvinistic positions. Overall, exclusivist understandings of national identity predominate across the region, though their prevalence varies systematically according to confessional context, with nationalist identities particularly widespread in countries with an Orthodox majority. The findings also show that religious dogmatism and institutional religiosity reinforce exclusivist orientations, whereas non-religious, individualistic spirituality aligns rather with inclusive patriotism. The study thus provides an empirically grounded typology and highlights the heterogeneous, non-monolithic character of the religion-nation nexus in CEE. Full article

Religion can provide comfort, a sense of purpose and community support, but when it comes to mental health, it may also have a negative impact by triggering feelings of guilt, fear and social stigma. The aim of this study is to explore the medical students’ beliefs about possible impact of religion on mental health. A 16-item questionnaire was distributed online to 100 medical students with different religious backgrounds. It assessed beliefs, the frequency of religious activities and the perceived influence on mental health. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test (via GraphPad Prism 10.5.0 (774) software). The participants were young adults (61% aged 20–25), predominately female (59%) and Islam was the most represented religion (51%). 64% reported mental struggles and 76% had faced hardships that affected their mental state. Among these, 66% said hardships brought them closer to faith and 85% found religious refuge helpful. Also, 83% valued religious community support. On the other hand, 56% have reported frequent feeling of guilt related to religious practices and 41% believe that being too religious can affect mental health. Significant associations were found between level of religious practice and several beliefs, indicating differences in how more and less practicing individuals perceived guilt, religious coping, and the impact of hardships. Religion may provide psychological support, offering effective coping tools and emotional help. However, it may also contribute to mental distress through guilt and social stigma. These findings highlight the need for culturally and spiritually sensitive mental health care that respects each individual’s beliefs. Full article

Historical records and tomb inscriptions have provided foundational insights into the lives of elite women in the Tang Dynasty. However, our understanding of their beliefs—particularly their modes of participation and how they negotiated the tensions between faith and familial responsibilities—remains limited. Most existing scholarship has concentrated on their relationships with parents and children, exploring how they balanced personal spiritual obligations with filial piety and filial duties. In contrast, relatively little attention has been paid to how they managed their relationships with their husbands. This gap in research is partly attributable to the prevailing assumption that women involved in religious ordination were unmarried, either divorced or widowed. This study examines tomb inscriptions of two prominent elite women—Madame Li and Lady Liu—to investigate how they negotiated their faith within the context of their familial and marital relationships. I argue that, owing to their social status, women in the Tang Dynasty, particularly those from the noble and elite classes, engaged in religious activities through a variety of modes that reflect their multifaceted participation in religious life. This broader participation not only challenges conventional perceptions of women’s religious involvement but also reveals the complex ways in which gender, social status, and religious expression intersected during this period. Full article

John Updike’s In the Beauty of the Lilies has often been interpreted as a lament for the decline of institutional Christianity in twentieth-century America. Instead, in this essay, it is argued that the novel dramatizes the metamorphosis of the sacred across four generations of the Wilmot family. Based on Updike’s conviction that divine presence endures beyond the walls of the church and through literary and cultural analysis grounded in sociological theory, the narrative shows that what appears to be the retreat of institutional religion is in fact a return to its primal ground in private faith. From Clarence’s crisis of belief to Teddy’s communal–private devotion, Essie’s narcissistic yet spiritualized stardom, and Clark’s restless searching, the novel traces diverse expressions of private religion in modern life. Film, above all, emerges as the communicative form that replaces the authority once vested in institutional churches, becoming the most pervasive medium through which transcendence is imagined and experienced. Far from depicting religion’s disappearance, Updike presents its reconfiguration into subtler and more pervasive forms of grace. In doing so, In the Beauty of the Lilies becomes a literary meditation on how religious meaning persists, adapts, and finds new representatives in a modern, media-saturated world. Full article

This study addresses a significant gap in the academic literature by directly examining the relationship between spirituality and sustainable behaviors. While existing research has explored these topics individually, a review of databases like Web of Science and Scopus revealed a unique absence of studies that directly connect them. The primary purpose of this research is to bridge this gap and identify the influence that spirituality has on sustainable behavior, thus potentially reshaping our understanding of these two interconnected concepts. To achieve this, the study used the ASPIRES scale, a validated instrument for measuring spirituality and religious beliefs across various countries and faiths. For the sustainability component, we adapted and statistically validated an entrepreneurial intention instrument to create the ‘Instrument of Intention in Sustainability’ (IIS), designed to assess leaders’ motivations for implementing corporate sustainability initiatives. The study’s findings involved comparing two confirmatory factor analysis models and two structural models to analyze the relationship between spirituality and sustainability. The results show that both instruments have acceptable psychometric properties; however, the direct relationship between spirituality and sustainability was found to be weak. Despite this weak direct link, our research provides valuable practical implications. The findings can help managers identify other factors that more effectively motivate sustainability-related behaviors. This insight can be instrumental in enhancing human resource strategies within organizations focused on sustainability. Ultimately, this research provides a new framework for sustainability-focused organizations within the specific cultural contexts of Colombia and Latin America. Implementing this framework could prove beneficial for a range of companies, from local and regional to multinational, that operate in areas with similar cultural characteristics. Full article

Ritual prayer (ṣalāh) is one of the most central and enduring practices in Islam, widely recognized for its spiritual significance. However, its educational and formative role in shaping the Muslim’s inner self and moral identity remains insufficiently explored in contemporary scholarship. This paper aims to examine ritual prayer as a core pedagogical tool within Islamic education, focusing on its transformative power in the processes of self-purification (tazkiyah) and identity formation. The study seeks to analyze the ethical and psychological dimensions of ṣalāh, drawing on classical Islamic sources, as well as integrating insights from contemporary critical philosophy—particularly Byung-Chul Han’s Vita Contemplativa—and Islamic virtue ethics, including perspectives such as those advanced by Elizabeth Bucar. Through this framework, the paper explores how prayer shapes inner dispositions like humility, mindfulness, sincerity, patience, and submission, reinforcing both spiritual awareness and communal belonging. Employing a descriptive-analytical methodology, the study engages Qur’anic verses, prophetic traditions, and traditional pedagogical literature to investigate how ṣalāh functions as a lived and repeated experience that cultivates the soul and molds ethical behavior. The discussion highlights how regular performance of prayer integrates belief with action and contributes to the formation of a reflective and morally grounded Muslim identity. This paper contributes to the field of Islamic Practical Theology by demonstrating how ritual prayer operates as a dynamic and holistic model for moral and spiritual development. It provides educators and scholars with a theoretical and applied vision for incorporating ṣalāh-based character education into Islamic curricula. Future research may explore how prayer interacts with modern lifestyles, digital spiritual practices, and intergenerational transmission of religious identity in diverse contexts. Full article

Across the world, war and armed conflict continue to disrupt lives and have a profound impact on individuals. This is particularly evident in Arab countries, many of which have experienced repeated conflicts in recent decades. In these contexts, resilience and psychological adaptation are essential for maintaining well-being, yet social and cultural factors significantly shape how resilience manifests. Despite growing recognition of resilience’s importance, limited synthesis exists regarding the cultural and psychosocial factors that promote adaptation in Arab populations during wartime. This systematic integrative review provides a comprehensive overview of empirical findings on resilience, adaptation, and their associated factors during times of war in Arab countries. A screening was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Content and thematic analysis of 52 selected studies revealed five key themes: demographic factors, community resilience, personal resilience and growth, coping strategies, and religion and spirituality. The review highlights the effect of factors like religiosity, social support, and active coping strategies, among others, in promoting resilience and adaptation among Arab people exposed to war. The findings also suggest the value of leveraging existing cultural strengths, including strong social networks, communal practices, and religious beliefs, in interventions designed to promote resilience and adaptation during times of conflict. Full article

Contemporary religiosity is undergoing profound transformation, shaped by postsecular and postmodern dynamics. Amid global declines in institutional affiliation, religious and spiritual tourism has emerged as a salient expression of evolving faith. Poland exemplifies this paradox: witnessing one of the world’s steepest declines in youth religiosity, even as Catholicism retains symbolic centrality. Drawing on survey data from 510 Polish young adults (Generation Z), this study examines how religiosity, faith-based travel, and social attitudes intersect within a postsecular framework. Findings reveal a dual trajectory: while religious tourism reinforces institutional belonging and traditional values, spiritual tourism aligns with individualized, fluid religiosity and looser ties to religious institutions. The study introduces a novel conceptual model mapping the interdependencies between religiosity, mobility, and identity among youth in postsecular societies. This framework demonstrates how faith-based travel actively mediates social attitudes and reconfigures religious engagement, positioning mobility as a generative force in shaping contemporary belief. Rather than following a linear path of secularization, Generation Z selectively blends inherited Catholic traditions with personalized, experience-driven spirituality. These findings advance sociological debates on secularization, postsecularism, and the transformation of religious identity through mobility. Full article

Religious “nones” is currently used in academia as a category referring to individuals who do not have a specific religious belief or do not belong to a specific religious organization. The increase in the number of religious nones is a distinct religious, cultural, and social trend not only in the West but also around the world, and South Korea is no exception. The following questions arise: What are the trends of religious nones in South Korea? What are their characteristics? What are the historical, cultural and social factors for the large number of the irreligious in the country? This paper shows that South Korea boasts one of the highest percentages of the population with no religious affiliation in the world. The paper also finds that religious nones in the country tend to be “spiritual but not religious”, i.e., they have the characteristic of pursuing spirituality by practicing their faith in their own way outside of the institutional system. As for the factors for the high rate of religious nones, the paper argues that the phenomenon of irreligion in South Korea has a long history, e.g., suppression of shamanism and Buddhism during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910), and that the popularity of shamanism and Confucianism, which are often seen more as spiritual practice and a philosophical system, respectively, has also been a contributing attribute. The rapid economic development, improved living standard, high education attainment level, and the rise of leisure culture are other factors for the rise in religious nones in Korea. The paper closes by reflecting on the implications of increasing religious nones for the concept of secularization. Full article

This study examines the figure of the baksı as a living reflection of ancient Turkic belief systems in contemporary Kazakh culture. The baksı, whose earliest attestations in Old Uyghur Turkic derive from the Chinese po-shih (“scholar, teacher”), historically denoted a wide range of roles, including religious guide, scholar, scribe, healer, bard, and shaman. Employing an interdisciplinary methodology that integrates philological, lexicographic, folkloric, and ethnographic perspectives, the research traces the semantic development of the term across Turkic and Mongolic traditions, its uses in historical texts, and its representations in Kazakh oral literature such as proverbs, idioms, epics, and fairy tales. The findings show that while the baksı has been idealised as a healer, sage, and spiritual mediator, it has also been depicted with suspicion as a deceiver or figure associated with jinn, particularly in the post-Islamic period. Ethnographic insights further reveal that becoming a baksı involves a sacred calling, initiation rituals, and distinctive clothing and performance practices, situating the figure at the intersection of religion, medicine, and art. The study concludes that the baksı is not only a historical heritage but also a dynamic cultural institution, mediating between past and present, nature and society, and continuing to shape Kazakh identity today. Full article

Background/Rationale: Transnational caregiving may be influenced by religious beliefs and cultural traditions that frame elder care as both a moral and religious obligation. While migration alters caregiving dynamics, religious teachings and cultural expectations remain central in guiding transnational caregiving practices. This study examines how Christian Nigerians who have immigrated to Canada navigate caregiving responsibilities within a transnational context, integrating their religion, cultural values, and the practical realities of crossing borders. Methods: This study employed a predominantly qualitative narrative approach, drawing on in-depth interviews with Nigerian Christian immigrants (N = 10) providing transnational care. Data collection involved a pre-interview survey and semi-structured interviews, providing the opportunity for participants to share their lived experiences. Thematic analysis was used to identify recurring themes related to the role of religion and culture in caregiving, ensuring a comprehensive exploration of participants’ perspectives. Findings: Caregiving is shaped by religious duty and cultural obligation, reinforced by biblical teachings and cultural values. Participants view elder care as a moral responsibility, tied to spiritual rewards and familial duty. Despite migration demands, family-based care remains preferred over institutional care, with social stigma attached to neglecting elders. Conclusions: Religion and culture remain integral to transnational caregiving practices, sustaining caregiving responsibilities despite migration-related realities. While religious teachings provide moral guidance and emotional support, cultural expectations reinforce caregiving as a collective and intergenerational duty. Policies and resources are needed that support transnational caregivers, ensuring they can fulfill their caregiving roles while adapting to new sociocultural environments. Policymakers should prioritize the implementation of policies and programs to support transnational caregivers, including family reunification measures, caregiving-related travel provisions, culturally tailored eldercare services, diaspora–local collaborations, organized caregiver support groups, and financial mechanisms such as tax incentives for remittances dedicated to elder care. Full article

Psychedelic drugs show promise in treating a wide range of mental health conditions. These drugs are beneficial in part because they disrupt prior ideas and patterns of behavior and because they increase neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. It is important therefore to consider the causal impact of the social context not just during but also following psychedelic experiences. Modern cultural or social contexts might thwart or discourage spiritual integration, but local integration support groups are shown to be helpful, especially for those seeking to reflect the meaning of spiritual or religious themes. These groups might be offered within Christianity, which can provide (1) a connection to a community or a social context at the local level together with (2) a set of theological beliefs as an interpretive context that supports spiritual growth in general and psychedelic spiritual integration in particular. Full article