The Role of Spiritual-Religious Behaviors and Beliefs in Reducing Stress and Anxiety and Enhancing Spiritual-Psychological Health among a Group of Iranian Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background and Objective: The aim of the current study is to examine the role of spiritual-religious health in reducing stress and enhancing spiritual and psychological health among Iranian women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods and Materials: This descriptive research included a sample of 384 Iranian women. After providing their consent, participants completed the research questionnaires on Google Forms, which included George's Religious Health Questionnaire, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Findings: The research results, analyzed using AMOS24 software, indicate a relationship between the level of spiritual-religious health and religious beliefs and stress in women during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was confirmed due to the significance level being less than (P<0.05), and the use of spiritual-religious beliefs could explain and predict 40.3% of the stress in women. Additionally, the use of spiritual-religious health tools and religious beliefs and general psychological health in women was confirmed due to the significance level (P<0.05). The use of religious beliefs also explained and predicted 35.5% of the variance in women's general health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic threatens the lives of millions of people worldwide. Religious beliefs have had a significant impact on reducing stress and anxiety and increasing general psychological health in Iranian women. The study results place a heavy responsibility on specialists in this field, especially in the Muslim country of Iran, to promote spiritual-religious aspects and change the lifestyle of women to make significant strides in women's health.