Journal of Spiritual Health
Year:2025 | Volume:3 | Issue:4|Papers Count:8

Given that the relationship between physical health, mental health, and spiritual health is regarded as one of the fundamental issues in today's society, it is essential to pay more attention to the importance and role of spiritual health in improving patient outcomes and promoting health in scientific studies and research. Spiritual health directly impacts two categories of physical illnesses with psychological origins: psychosomatic illnesses and conversion disorder. While these diseases are related to the mind-body connection, they differ in nature, symptoms, and underlying mechanisms.

Background and Aim: Prolonged Grief Disorder, added as a psychiatric disorder to the DSM-5-TR in 2022 and classified under trauma- and stress-related disorders, requires interventions that align with cultural and spiritual beliefs. This study aimed to develop a therapeutic protocol for PGD based on spiritually multidimensional psychotherapy and elements derived from Islamic texts. Methods: This study was conducted using an exploratory mixed-method approach (quantitative-qualitative) in two parts. In the first part, spiritual concepts and mechanisms effective in the management and treatment of grief were extracted from Islamic scriptures. After searching for key terms and conducting thematic analysis, the components were organized into categories and final themes. In the quantitative stage, content validity was assessed through the evaluation of 12 experts in psychology and Islamic studies using CVR and CVI indices. In the second phase, a therapeutic protocol was developed based on the confirmed concepts and their alignment with spiritually multidimensional psychotherapy. For protocol validation, the Delphi method and feedback from 11 experts familiar with this therapeutic approach were utilized. The final protocol content was assessed through CVR and CVI indices. Results: In the first phase, 72 spiritual components were extracted from Islamic texts. Following expert evaluations, 69 components with CVR values above 0.56 and CVI values above 0.79 were confirmed, grouped into 16 categories and eight themes, while three components were excluded. In the second phase, the therapeutic protocol based on these components and aligned with spiritually multidimensional psychotherapy was reviewed by 11 experts. The protocol sessions achieved CVR values above 0.59 and CVI values above 0.79, thus receiving expert validation. Conclusion: The research findings indicated that the therapeutic protocol developed based on Islamic concepts and Spiritually Multidimensional Psychotherapy was validated in terms of content reliability and validity, suggesting its potential effectiveness as a method for treating prolonged grief disorder.

Background and Aim: Resilience is one of the most important determinants of people's health in difficult situations. It has enabled people to view challenges as opportunities for empowerment. Furthermore, resilience has a significant relationship with spiritual health. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between different dimensions of spiritual health and the resilience of students at Shahid Sadougi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the role of prayer in students' resilience. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 264 students at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd during 2021. The measurement tools used in this study were two questionnaires: the Pulotzin Wallison Spiritual Health Questionnaire and the Connor and Davidson Resilience Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, and regression analysis were used for data analysis. Results: There was a positive and significant relationship between spiritual health (98±6.75) and resilience (64.39±11.21) of students (P<0.05, r=0.56). Regression analysis showed that spiritual health (B=0.522) was the best variable for predicting the dependent variable of resilience. Additionally, the variables of religious health and existential health, with B values of 0.472 and 0.251, respectively, had the greatest impact on predicting the resilience variable. Conclusion: It is expected that policymakers and implementers of educational programs, with effective planning, will provide the basis for improving the spiritual health of students during their education by incorporating spiritual content and themes into the educational environment and providing suitable spiritual models.

Background and Aim: In the present era, due to changes occurring in various areas, there is a growing need to focus on spirituality, spiritual intelligence, and the fostering of creativity. Since creativity is not inherent, schools can provide the groundwork for its growth and development. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between spiritual intelligence and the meaning of life with the mediation of subjective well-being on the creativity of high school students. Methods: This research was applied in purpose and descriptive-correlational in content. The participants in the study included all high school students enrolled in Namin County, totaling 1744 individuals (828 women and 916 men) in the academic year 2023-2024. Due to the dispersion of the statistical population, it was not feasible to examine all members. Therefore, a sample of 317 individuals was selected based on Morgan's table using a multi-stage cluster random sampling method. In the first stage, 11 schools were randomly chosen, followed by the selection of classes and students as the statistical sample. The necessary information to address the research questions and test hypotheses was collected through standard questionnaires: the Warwick Subjective Well-Being Scale (2007), the King Spiritual Intelligence Scale (2008), and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire by Steger et al. (2006). Data analysis was conducted using LISREL-11 and SPSS-26 software. Results: The results indicate that spiritual intelligence and meaning in life have a positive and significant relationship with the mental well-being of high school students, with path coefficients of 0.21 and 0.66, respectively. On the other hand, spiritual intelligence and meaning in life also have a positive and significant relationship with the creativity of students through the mediating role of mental well-being, with path coefficients of 0.12 and 0.38, respectively. Since the significance value (t-value) for all relationships among the latent endogenous and exogenous variables is above 1.96, these relationships are considered significant. Conclusion: Spiritual intelligence and meaning in life, as two key elements, play a vital role in the growth and development of mental well-being among high school students. These two variables not only have a positive and significant relationship with student creativity directly but also enhance creativity by creating a supportive environment for mental well-being. Therefore, by strengthening spiritual intelligence and meaning in life within educational programs, it is possible to create an atmosphere in which students' creativity can flourish.

Background and Aim: The present study was conducted to design and psychometrically evaluate a scale to measure moral health based on Islamic texts, considering the definitions in the Quran, hadiths, and books on morality. Methods: The present research methodology is descriptive-methodological. The study population included all users of virtual social networks, aged 17 to 62, with at least a secondary education, who had access to the designed scale link during November 2023. The primary sources for designing the scale were the Holy Quran, hadiths, and Islamic narrations, resulting in the creation of 460 items across 41 factors. The content validity of the items was assessed in two qualitative (6 experts) and quantitative (9 experts) sections, and the face validity was assessed in two qualitative (4 experts) and quantitative (30 individuals from the representative sample of the target population) sections. Subsequently, to investigate the construct validity of the scale (by exploratory factor analysis), 800 participants responded to the designed items through an available sampling method. The reliability of the designed scale was calculated using two methods of split-half reliability and Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Results: According to the results of exploratory factor analysis, the factors of piety (14 items) and responsibility (3 items) were extracted, explaining 47.11% and 7.27% of the variance in moral health, respectively. Additionally, the total extracted factors accounted for 54.38% of the variance in moral health. The internal consistency of the scale, as measured by Cronbach's alpha, was 0.93 for all items and 0.93 and 0.66 for the components of piety and responsibility, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, the Moral Health Scale is a valid and suitable tool for measurement in an Iranian sample.

Background and Aim: How to improve mental health through spiritual health is the focus of this article. Firstly, it explains some mental disorders such as mind ruminations, viruses of the mind, mental conflicts, and chaotic imaginations. It then discusses the prevention and treatment of these disorders. Methods: This research was conducted through a library study, collecting information from psychological, religious, and mystical sources, along with experimental analysis and religious and mystical explanations of the data. Results: Mind ruminations are prevented by belief in divine wisdom, supplicating prayer, and submission to divine will. They are treated using three methods: theological reminder, self-tolerance, and forgiveness of oneself and others. Viruses of the mind are prevented by avoiding real and virtual socializing with unintimates and are treated through religious and intellectual assessment of false beliefs, humility before divine verses, and strengthening of religious beliefs. Mental conflicts are prevented through medicine and education of the soul and treated by examining and assessing conflicting desires, then choosing one according to the law of intellectual and religious ethics. Disturbed thoughts are prevented and treated through the principle of silence of the heart and studying it as sensual silence and remembrance of the heart in a special way. Conclusion: Based on the research and explanation, the principles of spiritual health can play a role in promoting mental health and can be used to prevent and treat mental illnesses.

Background and Aim: Health has physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions. The environmental behavior of individuals is influenced by various parameters, one of which is spiritual health. Therefore, examining spiritual health as one of the aspects of health can be one of the criteria predicting the environmental behavior of individuals. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between spiritual well-being and environmental behavior in students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences. Methods: The sample size in this cross-sectional study was 90 students from Kerman University of Medical Sciences in different majors in 2024, selected using a random sampling method. The data collection tool was the spiritual health questionnaire from the Islamic perspective, focusing on four dimensions: belief system, intellectual system, ethics, and lifestyle. Additionally, the environmental behavior questionnaire assessed two dimensions: energy consumption and efficient consumption and standards. Results: Most of the students participating in the study were female (70%), single (70%), 18 to 30 years old (74%), and undergraduate students (70%). There was no significant difference between the average score obtained in the two dimensions related to environmental behavior (P=0.08). However, there was a significant difference between the average scores obtained in the three dimensions of the intellectual system, moral system, and lifestyle with belief system (P=0.001). The total score of environmental behavior and spiritual health were found to have a significant positive relationship (P=0.03, r=0.19). The total score of environmental behavior in the target population was 49.51±8.22. Based on the total score of environmental behavior of the participating students, 80% of them had average environmental behavior, 12% had poor behavior, and 8% had appropriate environmental behavior. The spiritual health score in the target population was 97.21±16.70. Based on the total spiritual health score of the participating students, 51% of them had moderate spiritual health and 49% had high spiritual health. Low spiritual health was not observed in the students studied. Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the students examined exhibited acceptable spiritual health and environmental behavior. A significant positive relationship was found between the total score of environmental behavior and spiritual health. Therefore, strengthening spiritual health by reinforcing religious beliefs, such as contentment, thrift, and gratitude for God-given blessings, can enhance environmental behavior in individuals. Further research is recommended to explore strategies for promoting spiritual health, their implementation, and their outcomes in various age groups.

Background and Aim: Although many psychologists posit spirituality as an inherent human attribute and a foundational basis prompting the pursuit of understanding and connection with the unknown dimensions of existence and the search for meaning, according to Pargament, its meaning and conceptualization have been in a constant state of flux. Consequently, the study of its conceptual nature remains a subject of scholarly debate, and given the wide range of interpretations, its conceptual ambiguity is a matter of consensus among researchers. The present study aimed to analyze the construct of "spirituality" within the existing scholarly literature and to identify its underlying conceptual framework. Methods: Regarding its objective, this research is categorized as basic research, and its methodology, in terms of approach, is a mixed-methods design employing a sequential exploratory design (qualitative-quantitative approach). In the qualitative phase, conventional content analysis, based on the method of Hsieh and Shannon, was used to collect, describe, categorize, and analyze the construct of spirituality within psychological literature. In the quantitative phase, a descriptive-survey method (expert opinions) was employed to establish the validity of the conceptual model of spirituality and its components. Results: In an initial search, 363 articles and books were obtained, of which 58 were selected based on inclusion criteria to collect definitions. Data analysis resulted in 184 initial codes, 48 basic themes, 9 organizing themes ("Nature", "Experiencing", "Relating", "Seeking", "Thinking", "Knowing", "Behaving", "Affect and Emotion", and "Consequence"), and 4 overarching dimensions ("Core," "Mechanisms," "Dynamic Systems," and "Manifestations"). Finally, a process-based conceptual model of "spirituality" was extracted and validated using the Content Validity Index (CVI). Conclusion: Despite the various definitions and interpretations in the field of psychology, this research suggests that "spirituality" is a complex, multidimensional construct according to researchers. In addition to being a significant dimension of human development, it is deeply intertwined in an interactive developmental process with other dimensions (cognitive, emotional, behavioral, etc.). Given the prevailing secular paradigm in psychology, this influence is also evident in the conceptualization of spirituality.