Religious savior-centered psychotherapy for depression: a focus on women’s well-being

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study explores the effectiveness of Religious Savior-Centered Psychotherapy (RSCP) in treating depression in religious women. RSCP is a therapeutic approach that integrates Islamic teachings, particularly the concept of a Savior, with cognitive and behavioral strategies to address mental health challenges. Unlike traditional therapy models, RSCP emphasizes spiritual healing by fostering a strong connection to faith and a hopeful outlook for the future. The study aims to assess RSCP’s impact on depression in women by aligning with Islamic teachings and emphasizing positive future expectations. A pretest-posttest design with a two-month follow-up was employed to evaluate the effects of RSCP. The study included 70 women aged 18–60 from five counseling clinics in Tehran, all diagnosed with mild to moderate depression, and having expressed a belief in a Savior. MANCOVA was used to analyze the data, ensuring assumptions of normality and homogeneity of variances were met. MANCOVA results indicated a significant linear correlation between the treatment and depression levels (p < .05), with a large effect size (partial η2 = .61 for posttest and .54 for follow-up). Initial findings suggest RSCP’s potential benefit on mental well-being. RSCP has the potential to be integrated into existing mental health frameworks as a culturally sensitive option, particularly for Muslim women seeking faith-based approaches to mental health care. Future research with larger samples, randomized controlled trials, and longitudinal studies is needed to explore the effectiveness of this new positive psychotherapy approach.