Religious Satisfaction Research Articles

Religious Satisfaction on Women Doing Fasting for Three Years (Dalail al-Khairat): Motives, Practices, and Challenges

Religious Satisfaction on Women Doing Fasting for Three Years (Dalail al-Khairat): Motives, Practices, and Challenges

How Customers Loyalty Response to Service Quality, Bank Image and Religious Satisfaction?: An Evidence from Islamic Banking

Islamic banking offers services and goods in accordance with sharia (Islamic law), which rigorously forbids other unethical behaviours like gambling and speculation. Customer loyalty is assurance of customer that he will make repeat purchase of product or service in near future. The study impact of service quality, bank image and religious satisfaction on customer loyalty has some considerations in past. The objective of the present study is to find the impact of service quality, bank image and religious satisfaction on the loyalty of Islamic banking customers. Customer satisfaction was used as a mediator. The study uses a convenient sampling technique is applied for sample selection in this study. Data was gathered from 200 respondents which were customers of different Islamic banks located in Jhang, Faisalabad and Karachi. SPSS and Smart PLS were used for the analysis of data. The findings of the study reveal that service quality has a positive effect on customer loyalty. Bank image does not have a positive impact on loyalty of customer. Religious satisfaction has positive impact on loyalty of customer. Customer satisfaction mediates the relation of service quality, religious satisfaction with customer loyalty but doesnt mediate the relation of bank image and customer loyalty. The study will provide direction for Islamic banks to promote Islamic banking in order to foster its growth which will results in increase in customers.

Determinants of Shari’ah gold investment behaviour: the case of Penang, Malaysia

PurposeGold investment is one of the essential long-term investments for many to diversify their investment portfolios. Muslims are continuously looking for halal products and services in any aspect of life and one of them is Shari’ah gold investments (SGI). However, evidence pertinent to Muslims’ behaviour towards Shari’ah gold is somewhat inconclusive and for that, a new empirical investigation is needed to reduce the gap, at best. Hence, the purpose of this study is to study factors determining SGI behaviour in Penang, Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachBy using the Islamic theory of consumer behaviour (ITCB), this study examines the determinants of the SGI behaviour. The questionnaire survey was distributed and the data gathered was analysed using partial least square structural equation modeling.FindingsAll hypothesised hypotheses were instrumental in explaining the factors determining SGI behaviour in the context of Penang, Malaysia.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has at least two limitations, namely, confined generalisations of the variables used and the limited context of the research conducted.Practical implicationsThis study sheds light on the determinants influencing SGI behaviour, at best.Originality/valueThis study is original in terms of its final output that enlightens the significant effects of iman, Islamic altruism, maqasid consumer index on the behaviour of investors on Shari’ah gold within the ITCB’s context along with integrated religious satisfaction.

Presenting Causal Model in Explaining the Relationship between Self-differentiation and Forgiveness with Marital Satisfaction based on the Mediating Role of Religious Orientation

Aim: The aim of this study was to explain the relationship between self-differentiation and forgiveness with marital satisfaction based on the mediating role of religious orientation. Methods: The research method was descriptive-correlational and the statistical population included all married teachers working in the sixth and seventh grade in Tehran's 6th educational district, with a total of 4,080 people, among whom 28 schools and 304 volunteer teachers were randomly selected. To collect research data, the following tools were used: Differentiation of Self Inventory by Skowron, E. A., & Schmitt (2003), Family Forgiveness Scale by Pollard, Anderson, Anderson & Jennings (1998), Religious Orientation Questionnaire by Allport & Ross (1967), and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale by Fournier, Olson & Druckman (1983) were used. After deleting 10 distorted questionnaires and 3 outliers, structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. Results: In this study, the direct path coefficient between internal religious orientation and marital satisfaction (P<0.01, β=0.337) was positive and significant at the 0.01 level. Indirect path coefficient between self-differentiation and marital satisfaction (β = 0.149, P <0.01) and indirect path coefficient between forgiveness and marital satisfaction (P <0.01, β = 0.129) were positive and significant at 0.01 level. Conclusion: Since internal religious orientation can be effective in improving relationships and marital satisfaction, it is suggested that in marital counseling, strengthening the religious beliefs of couples be used.

Private and social religious coping on life satisfaction: examining cultural factors among Latinxs

ABSTRACT This study aimed to examine the direct effects of private and social religious coping on perceived life satisfaction. The secondary aim was to investigate whether cultural factors (i.e., enculturation, acculturation, biculturalism) moderate this relationship. A total of 100 Latinx individuals (78% immigrants) completed measures on religious coping, life satisfaction, acculturation, enculturation, and biculturalism. There was a positive direct relationship between both private and social religious coping and life satisfaction. While acculturation, enculturation, and biculturalism did not moderate the relationship between social religious coping and life satisfaction, acculturation, and biculturalism both moderated the relationship between private religious coping and life satisfaction. Specifically, the relationship was strongest when Latinx individuals reported lower levels of acculturation or biculturalism. Clinical and research implications will be discussed for individuals working closely with the Latinx communities.

Forgiveness and gratitude as mediators between religious commitment and well-Being among Latter-day Saint Polynesian Americans

ABSTRACT An abundance of research has investigated well-being as it relates to religiosity and character strengths, such as forgiveness and gratitude. However, few studies have investigated how increases in forgiveness and gratitude might explain why religious commitment enhances well-being, particularly for U.S. ethnic/racial minority populations. This study investigated if the character strengths of forgiveness and gratitude mediated the relationship between religious commitment and well-being among Latter-day Saint Polynesian Americans – a fast growing, yet understudied, population. Results indicated that forgiveness and gratitude fully mediated the relationship between religious commitment and self-esteem, and gratitude partially mediated the relationship between religious commitment and satisfaction with life. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Religious Problem-Solving Styles and Life Satisfaction: Exploring God, the Will and the Way

A proliferation of empirical studies over the past few decades has examined the connection between religiosity and health; an extension of this literature has focused on the association between three styles of religious problem-solving-collaborative, self-directing and deferring-and psychological adjustment. Few studies, however, have examined variables that may mediate this association. The present study utilized a cross-sectional design to examine the pathways (means to attain goals) and agency (goal-directed energy and determination) components of hope as mediators in the association between religious problem-solving styles and psychosocial adjustment. Students (n = 91) at a midsize Southeastern university completed a demographic questionnaire, the Religious Problem-solving Styles Scale, Adult Hope Scale, and the Life Satisfaction Scale. Mediation analyses revealed that both the collaborative and deferring religious problem-solving styles were positively associated with life satisfaction through agency thinking, but the self-directing religious problem-solving style was negatively associated with life satisfaction through agency thinking. Contrary to expectations, there was no significant indirect effect of any of the religious problem-solving styles on life satisfaction via pathways thinking. These results suggest that approaching problems within a specific religious framework is associated with psychosocial adjustment, and that each religious problem-solving style may exert its effects by either amplifying or quelling goal-directed motivation and willpower. Future studies should utilize quasi-experimental designs in order to delineate cause-and-effect relationships among religious problem-solving styles, agency and pathways thinking, and psychosocial adjustment.

The Moderating Role of Religious Satisfaction on Purchasing Over-The-Counter Medicines in Malaysia: An Islamic Perspective

Medications can be found in different formulations and ingested in different ways. OTC medications are used to cure, avoid or alleviate disease and to promote the well-being of people. There is continuous argument building up by taking a possibly Halal medication among the growing Muslim consumers around the world. Therefore, the focus of this study drawn from Maqasid al-Shariah approach for medicine usage and its significance in Islam. A sample of 308 Muslim consumers of pharmacies was being surveyed from the metropolitan territory of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor states in Malaysia. The Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis techniques have been used to analyse the data. The outcome revealed that customers’ religious satisfaction significantly moderates the purchasing of OTC medicines. The purpose of self-medication comes from the consumer’s decision-making. Hence, the self-medication phenomenon is critical to understand, and it should be subjected to strict control for the betterment of the Ummah.

Religiosity and subjective wellbeing of the elderly in Chile: a mediation analysis

ABSTRACT Aging raises several new challenges for the elderly, such as ensuring their wellbeing. Using a nationally representative sample, we studied the association between religiosity and the subjective wellbeing of the elderly in Chile, developing two possible mediation mechanisms for the role of social religiosity and private religiosity, respectively. Using linear regression models and statistical mediation analysis, we found that the association between attending religious services and satisfaction with life is mediated by social networks and the availability of support. While the relationship between praying and satisfaction was corroborated, the mediating effect of self-efficacy was not confirmed.

Islamic marketing: A literature review and research agenda

AbstractThis study adopts a novel approach by combining two complementary tools: bibliometric method of scientific mapping and content analysis of 113 published articles on Islamic Marketing (IM) to provide a comprehensive review of IM literature and pinpoints potential research areas. Results reveal that earlier studies have only examined multiple facets of IM while keeping theoretical perspective almost untouched. Results also highlight the concentration of publications to Islamic‐specific journals, restricting its focus to minimum issues of IM, thereby exerting limited influence on greater business community. This study reveals five distinct areas within IM research: (a) Theoretical aspects of IM and Muslim consumers, (b) IM ethics and practices, (c) Halal logistics and Consumer behaviour, (d) IM Communications, and (e) IM strategies & Globalization. Thus far, studies have predominantly investigated these IM aspects while the other areas remain relatively under‐researched. Potential research agenda in the IM literature emerge that present avenues for future research, namely to: (a) examination of process, physical evidence and performance elements of marketing mix and (b) examination of IM mix for ensuring customer and religious satisfaction apart from other future research areas identified in this study.

Religious Struggle and Life Satisfaction Among Adult Christians: Self-esteem as a Mediator

The religious dimension of life represents an important source of human strength, meaning, and coping for many people. However, the religious life is not always “smooth and easy” and can be associated with weak personal adjustment, poorer psychological well-being, and lower satisfaction. Yet, besides the direct relationship between these variables, some researchers postulate the existence of an indirect association that has not been fully explained by various psychosocial mediators. The aim of the present study was to verify whether self-esteem could be a potential mediator between religious strain and life satisfaction. The sample consisted of 607 adult Christians (49.6% women) aged between 18 and 79. We used the Religious Comfort and Strain Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Consistent with our hypotheses, life satisfaction positively correlated with religious comfort and was negatively associated with fear/guilt, negative emotions toward God, and negative social interactions surrounding religion. The same pattern of results was shown in the case of self-esteem. Moreover, the outcomes obtained from bootstrap sampling (5000) with a 95% confidence interval indicated a significant role of self-esteem as a mediator in all of the relationships between: (1) religious comfort and life satisfaction; (2) fear/guilt and life satisfaction; (3) negative emotions toward God and life satisfaction; and (4) negative social interactions surrounding religion and life satisfaction.

RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCE, MARITAL SATISFACTION, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OF CHINESE MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS

Objectives: Religion plays an important role in people’s individual and interpersonal life. Spousal religious difference is a potential risk factor of marital satisfaction, which will further influence people’s psychological well-being. This study aims to explore the associations between spousal religious differences, marital satisfaction, and psychological well-being of Chinese middle-aged and older adults. We also investigated the gender differences in the captioned associations. Method: We adopted a sample of 1285 adults aged 45 and above from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). We conducted descriptive statistics, multiple regression models and a path analysis based on a general structural equation model (GSEM). Results: Spousal religious difference was only associated with wives’ marital satisfaction. Marital satisfaction was associated with depression and life satisfaction for both genders, and wives’ marital satisfaction had a stronger association with life satisfaction than husbands’. Wives’ marital satisfaction mediated the relationship between spousal religious difference and their psychological well-being, including depression and life satisfaction. Discussion: This study calls for more further research on the individual and interpersonal outcomes of religiosity in middle-aged and older adults. Gender differences should be paid attention to in academic research, service provision and clinical settings.

The Islamic theory of consumer behaviour for ijarah home financing

Purpose This study aims to examine the factors that determine consumer behaviour of ijarah home financing using the Islamic theory of consumer behaviour (ITCB). In particular, the specific contract used is al-ijarah muntahia biltamleek. Subsequently, the term al-ijarah muntahia biltamleek home financing is used throughout the paper. Design/methodology/approach Drawing upon the ITCB, the present study examines patronage factors for al-ijarah muntahia biltamleek home financing. This study’s data were drawn from valid 409 usable questionnaires. Findings Partial least square results suggest that the role of iman, Islamic mortgage support and maqasid consumer index are significantly related to consumer behaviour. In turn, consumer behaviour is instrumental in determining religious satisfaction. Research limitations/implications Two limitations were observed that provide direction for future studies. Firstly, the current study is only tested in one particular Islamic home financing product that may explain why the generalisation is an issue. Secondly, the theory is still in its infancy stage, which, of course leads to some criticisms pertinent to its parsimony and applicability to other settings. Despite these limitations, however, this study aims to suggest a so-called Islamic model of factors that can explain consumer behaviour of a particular Islamic home financing product. In particular, scrutinising the product acceptance from the context of the ITCB can open a new debate in this area. Practical implications This study indeed reduces the theory–practice gap by suggesting new indicators that are workable to improve consumers’ positive perception of Islamic home financing. Given the results obtained, the ITCB provides a better prediction for consumer behaviour of al-ijarah muntahia biltamleek home financing. Originality/value This study expands the applicability of the ITCB to include al-ijarah muntahia biltamleek home financing.

Does the religious context matter? The causal effect of religious diversity on individual life satisfaction in the UK

ABSTRACT This study explores whether and to what extent the change in individual life satisfaction is caused by exposure to a changing religious context. Empirical evidence is from UK society, where the decline in Christian population is accompanied by increases in both Muslim and non-religious populations. By linking the UK Household Longitudinal Study with geographic codes at the Local Authority level between 2009 and 2016, we estimate the relationship between a religious context and life satisfaction for groups of Christians, individuals with minority religions, and the non-religious, respectively. By comparing fixed-effect modelling exclusively on stayers with multilevel modelling on the whole sample, we argue that although observed associations are largely consistent with widely accepted assumptions, most of them do not pass the test for causality under stricter conditions. The only significant relationship in FE modelling is a negative effect of Muslim exposure on life satisfaction of non-religious, mainly white British individuals.

Religious involvement, God images, and life satisfaction

ABSTRACTThis study addresses two issues. The first is to identify the aspects of religious life that are associated with benevolent images of God including denominational affiliation (Conservative Christians versus others), church attendance, and church-based social support (i.e., spiritual support). Data from a nationwide survey suggests that church-based support appears to be the most consequential. The second issue involves embedding these constructs in a conceptual model that traces effects of benevolent God images on life satisfaction. The following hypotheses form the core of this model: (1) Conservative Christians will attend worship services more often, (2) individuals who go to church more often tend to receive more support, (3) people who receive more support are more likely to have benevolent images of God, (4) benevolent images of God are associated with greater hope, and (5) greater hope is associated with greater life satisfaction. The findings provide support for each hypothesis.

Islamic religiosity among the older adults in Turkey: The association among religious activities, health status, and life satisfaction

Islamic religiosity among the older adults in Turkey: The association among religious activities, health status, and life satisfaction

Assessing Religious Commitment and Satisfaction: The Religious Surrender and Attendance Satisfaction Scale.

Survey instruments have been developed to measure whether someone claims to be religious but do not address the degree to which someone is satisfied with their religious commitment. The Religious Surrender and Attendance Satisfaction Scale (RSASS) was revised to measure both a person's level of religious commitment and satisfaction with level of religious commitment. This study was conducted to determine initial validity for the satisfaction portion of the RSASS. Construct validity measures provided initial confirmation of the utility of RSASS as a measure of satisfaction with religious commitment, that can be used by nurses in practice and research.

The Religious Attribution Scale: further validation with an American sample

ABSTRACTThe Religious Attribution Scale (RAS) was developed recently and validated with a predominantly Muslim Indonesian sample. This study aimed to demonstrate the validity of the RAS with a sample of individuals from the US. Students from two US colleges participated in this research. In addition to the RAS, other constructs such as meaning in life and life satisfaction were assessed. Reliabilities for all measures were acceptable. Similar to the findings reported for the Indonesian sample, positive religious attribution was associated positively with the presence of meaning in the US sample. However, different relations were observed between positive attribution and search for meaning in life in the US and Indonesian sample. We also found that positive religious attribution had positive correlations with life satisfaction and negative religious attribution factors were negatively related to life satisfaction. Mediational analysis revealed that meaning in life was a potential mediator for religious attribution and life satisfaction.

Religious Fundamentalism, Satisfaction with Life and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Intensity in a Polish Sample of People Living with HIV/AIDS

We investigated the relationship between religious fundamentalism, satisfaction with life and the intensity of posttraumatic stress symptoms in people living with HIV/AIDS. The study was conducted on 283 adults, including 242 HIV-positive patients and 41 individuals with AIDS, aged from 20 to 74. Religious fundamentalism was positively correlated with age and posttraumatic stress symptoms intensity. Negative correlation between satisfaction with life and posttraumatic stress intensity was also found. Religious fundamentalism and satisfaction with life accounted for 34% of the variance in posttraumatic stress symptoms intensity. The level of patients’ education mediated the relationship between religious fundamentalism and the posttraumatic stress symptoms intensity.

Spiritual Growth or Decline and Meaning-Making as Mediators of Anxiety and Satisfaction with Life During Religious Struggle

A number of studies have demonstrated links between spiritual struggles and health problems. As yet, however, only a few studies have investigated what makes religious struggle a source of mental problems or a source of well-being. We determined whether spiritual growth, spiritual decline, and meaning-making mediated the relationship between religious struggle and anxiety and satisfaction with life. Of the 180 respondents, 92 were women, and mean (SD) age was 24 (8.2) years. Each respondent completed the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale, the Meaning-Making Scale, the Spiritual Transformation Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Religious struggle correlated positively with anxiety and negatively with satisfaction with life. Spiritual growth mediated the relationship between moral and demonic struggle with satisfaction with life, and spiritual decline mediated the relationship between demonic, moral, and interpersonal struggle with anxiety. Finally, meaning-making mediated the relationship between religious doubt and satisfaction with life.