A State of Grace: Community, Self-Consciousness, and Faith in W.H. Auden ’s “The Age of Anxiety”
AbstractIn this essay, the author examines a highly influential poem,The Age of Anxiety by W.H. Auden, for its engagement with anxiety and religious faith in the modern world. Published in 1947, the book-length poem reveals Auden ’s deep understanding of western psychology, Judaism, and Christianity. The author argues for the relevance ofThe Age of Anxiety in this modern moment, but demonstrates that this relevance does not derive from any direct diagnostic or therapeutic implications of the poem. Rather, Auden ’s work provides readers with an image of a state of grace in the middle of an age of anxiety. (Source: Journ...
Source: Journal of Religion and Health - March 15, 2024 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research

A Permissible Sin: Perceptions of Smoking Among Haredi Men in Israel
AbstractThis essay deals with perceptions of smoking among Haredi men in Israel. Though trends in smoking within the Haredi society have been quantitively examined, no qualitative research has ever focused on the motivations and mindsets stimulating individuals ’ choices to take health risks despite religious precepts to the contrary. Israeli Haredi men sometimes start smoking in their early childhood and are unmotivated to quit, and such circumstances should be examined. We interviewed 20 Israeli Haredi male smokers and overviewed the Haredi daily press and rabbinical attitudes toward smoking. Our findings indicate that...
Source: Journal of Religion and Health - March 15, 2024 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research

The Effect of Spiritual Group Therapy on the Quality of Life and Empowerment of Women with Breast Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial in Iran
AbstractThis randomized clinical trial was carried out on 74 women with breast cancer between May 2015 and April 2016 in the south of Iran. The patients were selected using a simple sampling method and randomly divided into an intervention (n  = 30) and a control (n = 37) group. Five spiritual therapy sessions were conducted for the intervention group. Each session lasted one hour. The quality of life and empowerment of the patients were measured before and one month after the intervention. To collect data, four instruments were used, including a demographic information form, the European Organization for Research ...
Source: Journal of Religion and Health - March 15, 2024 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research

Understanding Suicide from an Indigenous Cultural Lens: Insights from Elders in Canada
In this study, Indigenous Elders in Canada were interviewed to explore their conceptualizations of death and dying, particularly in relation to suicide. Through reflexive thematic analysis, three key themes were developed: Indigenous conceptions of death and dying, Christian influences on views of suicide, and indirect suicide. The theme of Indigenous conceptualizations of death and dying included the subthemes of spirituality and life after death, highlighting the importance of spiritual beliefs in Indigenous culture and knowledge systems. The impact of Christian influences on views of suicide was also explored, with part...
Source: Journal of Religion and Health - March 11, 2024 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research

Equipping Faith-Based Communities for Cancer Support Ministry: A Pilot Study of Cancer Support Training for Members of African-American Churches in the USA
AbstractChurch –academic partnerships focused on cancer, generally target cancer screening and prevention, with few focusing explicitly on cancer survivors. With the population of cancer survivors steadily increasing, highlighting the value of faith-based cancer support ministry is paramount. However, many churc hes may not have the resources to integrate relevant cancer support ministry and may need to identify ways to reach cancer survivors. We piloted cancer support training to help church members to start a cancer support ministry with African-American churches in Milwaukee, WI. We sought to measure the feasibility o...
Source: Journal of Religion and Health - March 7, 2024 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research

Death Anxiety in Patients with a History of Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Spiritual Well-Being and Coping Strategies
AbstractPatients who have previously undergone coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) were prone to death anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. It appears that spiritual well-being and appropriate coping strategies may mitigate the harmful effects of death anxiety. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the level of death anxiety in patients with CABG during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigate the relationship between spiritual well-being, coping strategies and death anxiety.This cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 patients with CABG history in Tehran from June 2021 to February 2022. The face-to-face questionnair...
Source: Journal of Religion and Health - March 2, 2024 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research

Tribal Healing, Suicide, Ethical Issues, Cancer and Measuring Religiosity and Spirituality
AbstractThis issue ofJORH considers the ‘good, the bad and the ugly’ of tribal or traditional healers, as well as articles relating to ethical challenges due to contemporary medicine and environmental issues. The concluding series on suicide (Part 2) is also finalized in this issue, as well as a number of research articles from multip le countries relating to cancer. Similar to previous issues,JORH once again adds to its increasing collection of articles relating to the empirical measurement of religion, spirituality and health. Readers are also reminded of theEuropean Congress on Religion, Spirituality and Health (ECR...
Source: Journal of Religion and Health - March 2, 2024 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research

“I Would Consult a Doctor, But What the Rabbi Says Goes”: Ultra-Orthodox Jews’ Relationships with Rabbis and Doctors in Israel
AbstractWe examine relationships among ultra-Orthodox Israeli Jews, their doctors, and rabbis when medical decisions are made. Analyzing excerpts from sixteen focus groups with 128 ultra-Orthodox Jews, we determine how their belief system affects their decisions about whom to trust and follow when the doctor ’s instructions contradict the rabbi’s advice. We argue that the strict behaviors described here with regard to relations among doctors, rabbis, and patients, function as social capital that raises the status of ultra-Orthodox Jews as members of an exclusive club that balances health decisions with the social dema...
Source: Journal of Religion and Health - February 29, 2024 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research

A Brief Overview of the Islamic Ethics of Suicide and Suicide-Related Contemporary Issues from a Sunn ī Perspective: A Primer for Clinicians and Researchers
AbstractSuicide is a growing global health concern with complex socioeconomic implications. Understanding psychosocial resiliency factors may facilitate suicide prevention. Religious moral objections to suicide, including those inspired by the Islamic faith, appear to promote resilience to suicide. However, few English-language resources provide an overview of Islam ’s moral and ethical position on suicide, potentially hindering treatment of, and research on, suicide risk among Muslims. In the current paper, Islam’s unanimous prohibition of suicide is explored and contextualized within the religion’s foundational pri...
Source: Journal of Religion and Health - February 29, 2024 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research

Happiness in Hospice Care in The Netherlands: A Case Study Design
This study suggests that happiness can be found in settings that are frequently associated with suffering. (Source: Journal of Religion and Health)
Source: Journal of Religion and Health - February 29, 2024 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research

Principal Accompaniment in Australian Faith-Based Schools: A Salutogenesis Approach
Discussion confirmed design elements contributed to the wholistic nature of accompaniment linking body, mind, and spirit in conversational processes and the transformative effects of these ex changes on professional practice and well-being. (Source: Journal of Religion and Health)
Source: Journal of Religion and Health - February 22, 2024 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research

Religious Belief and Workplace Safety Behavior Among the Informal Automobile Workers in Nigeria
This study explores the interaction between the automobile artisans ’ religious beliefs and their workplace safety behavior. Forty three male artisans (either Christian: n = 17; or Muslim: n = 26) were purposively interviewed. Even though their religious teachings are against risk-taking, the artisans took risks at their workplace. Specific programs like s eminars and various outreaches for workers in religious settings influence their perception of OHP prevention. Religious organizations have a role to play in OHP prevention. (Source: Journal of Religion and Health)
Source: Journal of Religion and Health - February 21, 2024 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research

The Effect of Religious –Spiritual Education and Care on the Quality of Life of Iranian Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
AbstractSo far, several preliminary studies have been conducted on the effect of religious –spiritual education and care on the quality of life of women in different parts of Iran. Therefore, the current study aims to explore the effect of religious–spiritual education and care on the quality of life of Iranian women through systematic review and meta-analysis. Databases searched for studies related to the research objective include SID, MagIran, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, WoS, and Google Scholar. The search was performed using keywords linked to and validated with MeSH/Emtree with no time limit until April 2022. TheI2 in...
Source: Journal of Religion and Health - February 19, 2024 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research

Exploring Women ’s Religious Coping Strategies and Psychological Impact After the 2023 Earthquake in Syria
AbstractThis paper examined gender (N = 1406;77.7% women) patterns of religious coping and psychological impact following the devastating 2023 Syrian earthquakes. Measures in this nation-wide convenience sample study included positive religious coping (PRC) and negative religious coping (NRC) using the Brief Religious Coping Scale (RCOPE), and probable PTSD, depression, and anxiety, using the PCL-5, PHQ-9, and GAD-7, respectively. Women reported higher endorsement of PRC items while men higher endorsement of NRC items. Within the women only sample, lower education and lower income, education and younger age predicted P...
Source: Journal of Religion and Health - February 15, 2024 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research

Exploring User Perceptions of a Mobile App for Religious Practices
AbstractThe purpose of this study was to explore the usage patterns of USA subscribers of an online religious/spiritual application (i.e., app; Pray.com) and the associations of app usage with physical health, mental health, spiritual health, and well-being outcomes. A total of 1031 subscribers participated in the survey about their engagement with the Pray.com app. Most of the respondents had been using the app between one and two years, and more than half were high-frequency users. Although many individuals engaged with the app experienced  spiritual growth, many also reported retrospective improvement in mental and phy...
Source: Journal of Religion and Health - February 15, 2024 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research