Quran and Medicine

Quran and Medicine

Assessment of the effect of prayer on the mental health of Iranian university students: a systematic review

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
moradali zareipour 1
Fatemeh Hosseinzadeh 2
Esmayil Zeynali 3
Noshin Narmayun 4
1 Assistant Professor of Health Education and Promotion School of Medical Sciences Khoy Faculty of Medical Sciences, Khoy Iran
2 Instructor, Department of operating room, Khoy University of Medical Science, Khoy Iran
3 Instructor of Islamic Education, Department of Islamic Education, Khoy University of Medical Science, Khoy Iran
4 Psychology student, Department of Psychology, Payam Noor University of Urmia, Urmia, Iran
Abstract
Purpose: The verses and narratives of prayer claim that it provides humanity with a shield against problems and misfortunes. Beginning life as a student at a university means facing an overwhelming amount of unknowns and changes that will surely have an impact on one's behaviors and ethics. The purpose of this systematic review study was to examine the effect of prayer on the mental health of Iranian university students.

Methods and Materials: This study, which is a systematic review, ultimately selected 14 articles that were associated with the aim of the research among a total of 60 analyzed articles. A search of Persian and English texts from 2000 to 2023 was performed in the databases of Science Direct, PubMed, Google Scholar, SID, and MagIran for the purpose of acquiring the information that was required. Keywords including prayer, mental health, depression, mental disorders, anxiety, students, and Iran were utilized while searching for articles.

Findings: There was a statistically significant relationship between mental health and performing the obligation to pray in university. Students' mental health gets better through prayer because it enables them to communicate with God through spiritual peace and social communication.

Conclusion: In general, students' mental health may be enhanced, and mental disorders, including stress and anxiety, can be prevented by praying as a spiritual and religious activity. Thus, a common strategy to preserve and enhance students' mental health is to encourage positive attitudes about prayer and the practice of it.
Keywords
Prayer
Mental Health
Depression
Anxiety
Students
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