Editorial


About Albert Bandura’s Concept of Moral Disengagement and How to Handle it from the Perspective of Islam

Mohtasham Ghaffari, Sakineh Rakhshanderou

Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va Salāmat (i.e., Research on Religion & Health), Vol. 9 No. 3 (2023), 15 Aban 2023, Page 1-6

According to Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory, which was later renamed as Social Cognitive Theory, a major part of human learning happens through observational learning/modeling, and based on this, people's moral standards are formed in interaction with the same social models (1, 2). Therefore, for self-regulation, people tend to behave in accordance with the behavioral norms of the society and avoid opposing the existing moral standards so as not to suffer self-deprecation and self-blame and self-condemnation. But in some cases, it is observed that people are in situations where they behave against their accepted values and norms, and at the same time, they do not blame themselves. Albert Bandura introduces this process with the concept of Moral Disengagement (3). In this conceptualization, he identified eight mechanisms that people use to prevent self-humiliation caused by committing a behavior that does not conform to moral standards, in the form of Moral Justification, Euphemistic Labeling, Advantageous Comparison, Displacement of Responsibility, Diffusion of Responsibility, Disregard or Distortion of Consequences, Dehumanization and Attribution of Blame (2, 4-6). It should be noted that Albert Bandura's theory of Moral Disengagement does not in any way mean his confirmation of moral disengagement and is only a scientific theory in the field of moral psychology to explain individuals’ internal and cognitive processes in relation to moral standards.

Today, this theory and individuals’ lack of moral to ethical standards and models adherence in the society are discussed and its roots are investigated in various research fields such as child and adolescent growth stages, organizational behavior, criminology, military psychology, sports psychology and public health. Accordingly, the findings of these studies can be very beneficial to the cultural and behavioral experts in the society (2, 7, 8).

Obviously, non-adherence to moral standards among the members of a society exposes the moral life of that society to collapse, and this is not an issue that can be easily ignored, especially considering the life-giving teachings of the Islamic religion, which puts a high emphasis on adherence to moral issues. Therefore, we see that in the discussion of Enjoining

 

Good and Forbidding Evil, one of the duties of every Muslim is to fight against the spread of immoral behavior in society, one of the main causes of which is individuals’ moral disengagement. In other words, this divine duty, as a key strategy that is socially deterrent, can play a significant role in preventing many mechanisms of lack of moral commitment, besides its internal cleansing dimensions The repeated emphasis in the Holy Quran and religious teachings on Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil show the importance that Islam attaches to making the social environment healthy and feeling responsible, benevolent and philanthropic and fighting corruption and sin in society. On the other hand, Imam Hussain's (pbuh) unique uprising and movement, according to his words, was for the implementation of this divine duty in the society, and in the present time, reviving the duty of Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil will be of great help in making the social environment healthy (9).

In the end, it is hoped that more specialized studies and analyses are conducted in academic circles on the process of moral disengagement in various subjects and areas, and the government authorities have a more serious concern by relying on scientific evidence in order to plan suitable interventions in this field.

Original Article


Physical and biological study of several materials in prostration

Ehsan Mokari-Manshadi, Gila Pirzad-Jahromi, Gholam Hossein Meftahi, Majid Mafi, Boshra Hatef

Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va Salāmat (i.e., Research on Religion & Health), Vol. 9 No. 3 (2023), 15 Aban 2023, Page 7-19

Introduction & aim: Praying is the essential duty of Muslims, and prostration in praying has many effects on the nervous system. In Islamic teachings, prostration has been approved a lot. This study aimed to investigate the magnetic and electrical properties of three materials: soil, paperboard, and cloth, and to study the brain activity further when prostrating on these three different materials.

Methods: In the first part, the physical examination of different materials was done. The vibrating sample magnetometer was used to check the magnetic permeability, and a two-point electrical conductivity measuring device was used to check the electrical conductivity of three soil, paperboard, and cloth samples. The second part of the brain waves of ten healthy young men in the sitting position, prostration on the soil (seal), paperboard, and carpet with the same conditions was recorded. The relative strengths of the frequency bands were investigated. The significance level was considered after calculating the false discovery rate to delete the channels and bands effect interface.

Results: The first part results showed that paperboard had more magnetic permeability than cloth and cloth compared to soil and had less electrical conductivity as well. In the second part, the results showed that paperboard and soil caused a significant increase in the relative power of the alpha 1 band in the frontal and central areas compared to the sitting position, while there was no significant difference in prostration on the carpet. Prostration on the carpet significantly increased the relative power of the gamma band 1 compared to sitting, while prostration on the soil, especially paperboard, showed this difference to a lesser extent.

Conclusion: Prostration on paperboard exaggerated, and prostration on carpet diminished the effects of prostration on the soil. Moreover, the brain changes in prostration on the soil were between the changes caused by the prostration on carpet and paperboard.

Mental Vitality Model of the Elderly Based on Religious Orientation: The Mediating role of Family Functioning

Zahra shemshadi, Bita Nasrollahi, Farhad Jomehri

Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va Salāmat (i.e., Research on Religion & Health), Vol. 9 No. 3 (2023), 15 Aban 2023, Page 20-33

Background & Objective: Vitality means a special psychological experience of a life-giving force that causes a sense of life and spirit in the elderly and is affected by many factors, so the purpose of this study is to investigate the mediating role of family functioning in the relationship between religious orientation and mental vitality of the elderly.

Method: The present research was a descriptive-correlation type of structural equations. The statistical population of the research included all elderly people over 60 years old in the city of Tehran in 2021, and 300 qualified people were selected as the research sample using available sampling method; and responded online to the Allport & Ross (1967), Epstein et al. (1983) family functioning, and Ryan and Frederick (1997) mental vitality questionnaires. The research model and relationships between variables were analyzed using Pearson correlation using SPSS version 22 software and Amos software.

Results: The results showed that the direct effect of internal religious orientation on family functioning is positive and significant (β = 0.17, P < 0.01), but the direct effect of external religious orientation on family functioning is negative and significant (P < 0.01, 34 β = -0/0). The direct effect of family functioning on mental vitality was positive and significant (P < 0.01, β = 0.65). The direct effect of internal religious orientation on positive and meaningful mental vitality (P < 0.01, β = 0.20), but the direct effect of external religious orientation on negative and meaningful mental vitality (P < 0.01, -0.04 = β) was Also, family performance has a significant mediating role in the relationship between internal religious orientation (P < 0.05, Z = 2.34) and mental vitality. Also, family performance has a significant mediating role in the relationship between external religious orientation (P < 0.01, Z = -3.56) and mental vitality.

Conclusion: Religious orientation and family functioning play an important role in the mental vitality of the elderly, so paying attention to them can be an effective way to maintain the mental vitality of the elderly.

Evaluation and comparison of reciting the Quran with white noise on depth of anesthesia and post-operative complications in vitrectomy surgery

Shahram Sayadi, Narsis Daftarian, Ardeshir Tajbakhsh, Elham Memari, Dariush Abtahi

Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va Salāmat (i.e., Research on Religion & Health), Vol. 9 No. 3 (2023), 15 Aban 2023, Page 34-46

Background & Objective: Previous studies have shown that reciting the Quran can reduce anxiety, pain and sympathetic activity. One of the criticisms of these studies was the lack of an appropriate control group. In this study, white sound consisting of all wavelengths audible to humans was used as a control group.

Methods: Fifty patients who were candidates for vitrectomy under general anesthesia included in the study. These patients were randomly divided into two groups: Quran Group and White Noise Group. After obtaining informed consent, the associated sound was played to the patients after induction of anesthesia. The two groups were compared in terms of propofol use as an anesthetic to maintain a BIS of about 50, as well as pain, nausea and vomiting.

Results: The average consumption of propofol in the Quran group was significantly lower than the white voice group (P-value = 0.05). Also, the rate of nausea and vomiting was lower in the Quran group, but the amount of pain was not significantly different between these two groups.

Conclusion: The reciting of the Quran can reduce the need for anesthesia and reduce postoperative nausea and vomiting.

The Relationship between Spiritual Intelligence and Organizational Spirituality of Nurses

Kourosh Abbasi-Biregani, َAzam Alavi

Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va Salāmat (i.e., Research on Religion & Health), Vol. 9 No. 3 (2023), 15 Aban 2023, Page 47-57

Background and Objective: Spiritual intelligence and organizational spirituality have been introduced as effective factors in nurses' professional performance and behavior. Therefore, the present study was conducted to examine the relationship between spiritual intelligence and organizational spirituality of nurses.

Methods: This is descriptive-analytical correlational study. 193 nurses from Seyed Al-Shohada Hospital in Farsan were selected using convenience sampling method. Data were collected using spiritual intelligence self-report inventory (SISRI) designed by King and organizational spirituality developed by Million. Then, the collected data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistical tests (Spearman correlation, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis). In the present study, all ethical considerations were observed and the authors reported no conflict of interests.

Results: The results showed that mean±SD related to nurses' spiritual intelligence score (45.83±61.14) and the mean score related to organizational spirituality (69.12±12.08) were above average. The result of Spearman correlation test showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between the mean score of spiritual intelligence and nurses' organizational spirituality (r=0.208, and P<0.05).

Conclusion: According to the findings of the study, it can be stated that spiritual intelligence can increase the organizational spirituality of nurses. Therefore, by planning in nursing education and then in-service courses to increase spiritual intelligence as a psychological factor can help to promote the organizational spirituality in nurses.

Construction and Validation of Firest Period of Development Based on Quranic Development System

Kosar Shirvan, Hadi Bahrami-Ehsan, Fatemeh Fayyaz, Ahmad Reza Okhovat

Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va Salāmat (i.e., Research on Religion & Health), Vol. 9 No. 3 (2023), 15 Aban 2023, Page 58-74

Background and Objective: Childhood is the most important and sensitive period of human development, and its evaluation is one of the most important tasks of parents and experts in this field. Despite the availability of various scales, it is necessary to devise scales on an Islamic theoretical basis. The present study aims at constructing the first period of a development scale based on a Holy Quran development system (Okhovat 2014-2019) and examining its validity and reliability.

Methods: The research is based on an exploratory mixed methodology. The scale was devised in the qualitative section, while the quantitative section evaluated its validity and reliability. The research population consisted of the parents of children aged 5-7 years in Tehran who were sampled by the cluster sampling method. The sample size was 820 in the main step. In the present study, all ethical considerations were observed and the authors reported no conflict of interests.  

Results: The validity (0.78) and reliability ratios (0.94) indicate the acceptable validity and reliability of the scale. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the scale consisted of two fundamental factors, and the loading factor of items was higher than 0.4. In studying structural validity, the scale included two infrastructural factors and eight components. All paths from items to factors were significant at the 0.05 level. The scale enjoys proper structural validity.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that the developed scale, titled the developmental scale of Tayyeb words, is a proper instrument to be used in the Iranian community.

Pattern of structural relationships of self-regulated learning based on moral identity mediated by spiritual intelligence in high school students

Hossein Taqavi, Shirin Ahmadi

Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va Salāmat (i.e., Research on Religion & Health), Vol. 9 No. 3 (2023), 15 Aban 2023, Page 75-87

Background and Objective: Global developments, environmental uncertainty and the need to adapt to the challenges posed by them, lead educational systems to train learners who have independent and self-directed learning competencies. The aim of this study was to model the structural relationships of self-regulated learning based on moral identity mediated by spiritual intelligence in high school students.

Methods: The present study was descriptive correlational (structural equations). The statistical population of the study consisted of all male high school students studying in public schools in Ardabil. A total of 250 students were selected by available sampling method and answered the self-regulatory learning, spiritual intelligence and moral identity questionnaires online. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient statistical tests and structural equation modeling. In the present study, all ethical considerations were observed and the authors reported no conflict of interests.

Results: The results showed that self-regulation in learning has a positive and significant relationship with the total score in spiritual intelligence, moral identity and their components. Also, spiritual intelligence has a positive and significant relationship with the total score in moral identity and its components (P<0.001).

Conclusion: The modeling results show that moral identity has a direct and indirect effect -through spiritual intelligence- on self-regulation learning; According to the obtained results, holding educational workshops by school psychologists is recommended to promote spirituality and moral identity and to teach self-regulatory learning strategies.

The Effectiveness of Prayer-based Psychological Peace Education and Patience in the Feeling of Failure and Distress Tolerance in Nursing Student

Mohammad Rahim-Karimy, Seyed Mahmood Mosavinezhad, Faezeh Salari-Rahimi, Masoomeh Izadpanahi

Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va Salāmat (i.e., Research on Religion & Health), Vol. 9 No. 3 (2023), 15 Aban 2023, Page 104-116

Background and Objective: The feeling of failure and distress tolerance are among the factors that affect the students during their education, which is an exciting and challenging period. So the aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of prayer-based psychological peace education and patience in the feeling of failure and distress tolerance of nursing students.

Methods: The present study was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest control group design. A samples of 30 students in Tabas School of Nursing in the academic year of 2019-2020 were selected by available sampling method and were randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. The research instruments were Simmons and Gaherr's Tolerance Questionnaire and Gilbert and Allen's Failure Feeling. The participants in the experimental group participated in 8 45-minute sessions of prayer-based psychological peace education and patience on, but the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22 and the multivariate analysis of covariance. In the present study, all ethical considerations were observed and the authors reported no conflict of interests.

Results: The mean score related to the feeling of failure significantly decreased in the experimental group compared to the control group in the post-test, but the mean score for the experimental group's distress tolerance analysis significantly increased compared to the control group in the post-test.

Conclusion: The results showed that teaching the prayer-based psychological peace education and patience on can be used as a useful intervention method to reduce the feeling of failure and increase students' tolerance for distress.

The Effectiveness of Spiritual Therapy on Pain Catastrophizing and Self-Control in Patients with Idiopathic Pain

Fatemeh Sadat Shahmoradi, Ali Reza Shokrgozar, Mansoor Ali Mehdi, Mahnaz Narimani-Zaman-Abadi

Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va Salāmat (i.e., Research on Religion & Health), Vol. 9 No. 3 (2023), 15 Aban 2023, Page 117-131

Background and Objective: Chronic pain is one of the most common problems that prompt people to seek medical care and is associated with numerous health, economic and social consequences. This research was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of spiritual therapy on pain catastrophizing and self-control in patients with idiopathic pain.

Methods: The present study was a semi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group and a six-month follow-up period. The statistical population of the research included all the patients with muscle pain who referred to pain clinics in Tehran in 2022-203, 30 people were selected by the purposeful sampling method and randomly assigned to two equal groups of 15 people. Data collection was done with the PCS by Sullivan et al, and SCQ by Tangney et al. Spiritual therapy was implemented during 8 sessions, two sessions a week and each session lasted for 1 hour for the subjects of the experimental group, but the subjects of the control group did not receive these programs. Data analysis was done with descriptive statistics and variance with repeated measurements using SPSS-26 statistical software.

Results: The average score of pain catastrophizing and its dimensions (mental rumination, magnification, helplessness) in the experimental group significantly improved after the intervention compared to the control group (P<0.05). Spirituality therapy was beneficial on increasing self-control and its dimensions in the subjects of the experimental group, unlike the control group (P<0.05). The effects of this program on dependent variables continued during the six-month follow-up period (P<0.05).

Conclusion: These findings further clarify the role of mental and behavioral structures in chronic pain sufferers and reveal the necessity of using therapeutic approaches derived from spirituality in order to adjust the symptoms of patients with chronic pain.

Review Article


The Signs of the Grateful in Islamic Texts and the Psychological Effects of Gratitude

Fatemeh Javidpour; Reza Kohsari, Ali Reza Saberyan

Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va Salāmat (i.e., Research on Religion & Health), Vol. 9 No. 3 (2023), 15 Aban 2023, Page 132-147

Background and Objective: Gratitude is a moral virtue and one of the most important Islamic teachings. The obligation to be grateful can be proved based on the Quran. Islamic propositions have determined certain signs and characteristics for the grateful that can be classified into cognitive, emotional and practical. Since the occurrence and duration of gratitude requires the identification of these symptoms and since the explanation of its effects is motivating for people and clarifies its effective role in mental health and human development, the current study sought to identify these criteria and signs and extract their psychological effects.

Methods: The current study is descriptive-analytical. It seeks to discover and identify the characteristics of thankful people and to identify the psychological effects of gratitude on thankful people with a Quranic-narrative approach. Based on this, first, the characteristics of the grateful were identified in Islamic texts, focusing on the verses of the Quran and the Prayers of the Grateful by Imam Sajjad (a.s.). Then, through content analysis and review of the verses, interpretations and traditions of the Innocents (a.s.), an attempt was made to identify and explain the psychological effects of these characteristics. The authors reported no conflict of interests.

Results: Gratitude happens with recognition and knowledge of the blessings and the bestower of the blessings. By focusing on material and spiritual possessions and conscious attention to the surrounding signs, s/he shows his/her gratitude, which is intertwined with knowledge and emotional reactions, in practice and tries to do something in gratitude. These practical manifestations of gratitude, for the follower of the Quran, appear in the form of commitment to the divine decrees and lead to the development of dignified and responsible individuals who can practice self-restraint via changing the knowledge and beliefs, reducing unhealthy emotions, and attracting social support.

Conclusion: Gratitude is the minimum condition for servitude (to God) and religious beliefs and commitment to practice the required religious behaviors in gratitude to the Benefactor, reduce confusion, anxiety and concern leading to mental health and, finally, the development of perfect and religious individuals.

Convergence of Religion and Heal Health of Convicts in the Convergent Approach of Religion and Health

Mehrdad Teymouri, Jamal Beigi; Fatemeh Ahadi

Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va Salāmat (i.e., Research on Religion & Health), Vol. 9 No. 3 (2023), 15 Aban 2023, Page 148-158

Background and Objective: The religion of Islam is the religion of compassion and kindness, and the Holy Quran, which is the source of religious teachings, strongly supports the fundamental rights of human beings; At the same time, in the Quranic teachings and Islamic traditions in the direction of human evolution and excellence, preservation of life and observance of health is considered as important and respectable. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the approach of religious teachings toward ensuring the health of convicts.

Methods: The method of carrying out this descriptive-analytical study was library-based Data was collected by referring to the Quranic verses and Islamic narrations and searching the Islamic sources and articles on databases such as ISC, Migiran, SID, Normags and Google Scholar. Then, the collected data were analyzed according to the purpose of the study. The authors of the article did not report any conflict of interests.

Results: The findings of the study indicate that in implementing the divine limits (punishments) while being effective in observing the inherent dignity of human beings, the health of the convicts has been predicted via certain mechanisms in the approach of religious teachings derived from the Holy Quran and narrations cited from the Infallibles; These include the non-enforcement of punishment on the convict in heat and cold, the non-application of punishment on the diseased convictsand pregnant woman, the possibility of applying punishment on the convicted patient in the form of theqth (a set of whips held together) and the non-application of punishment on the convict's face and genitals.

Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that religious teachings have paid attention to the health of convicts in order to ensure health, especially during the enforcement of divine limits or punishments; Therefore, illness and special circumstances of the convict before or after the conviction leads to the application of differential criminal policy for the convicts in order to ensure their health. As in many cases, the convict's physical and mental illness has been considered as a condition for the abolition of punishment and in some cases as the cause of delaying the enforcement of the punishment until recovery; Therefore, the integration of religion and health is a strategic combination in ensuring the health of convicts.

Third Millennium Development Goals: Maternal Health Based on the Teachings of Islam

Seyed Abdollah Mahmoodi, Hassan Jafaripour-Ferdosie, Mohsen Shamsi

Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va Salāmat (i.e., Research on Religion & Health), Vol. 9 No. 3 (2023), 15 Aban 2023, Page 159-178

Background and Objective: The United Nations identified maternal health as the fifth goal of the third millennium development goals. Therefore, the present study has been conducted with the aim of examining the teachings of Islam in relation to the fifth development goal of the third millennium, namely maintaining the health of mothers.

Methods: The present study is a review study involving a comprehensive review of Persian and English articles using international databases of Web of Science, Direct Science, PubMed, Google Scholar and using English keywords such as Islamic Health, Women, Millennium goals, Maternal Health performed individually and in combination, as well as the Persian equivalent keywords on Persian databases, including SID, Irandak, and search engines. The authors of the article did not report any conflict of interests.

Results: Among the teachings of Islam regarding the protection of mothers' health are paying attention to women's rights in various personal, family and social dimensions, paying attention to the dimensions of women's physical, mental and social health, fair access to health care, avoiding violence against women, paying attention to women's social status, advising on healthy pregnancies, avoiding unjustified abortions threatening women's health, avoiding unhealthy foods during sensitive pregnancies, etc., many of which are similar to the guidelines of the World Health Organization in maintaining maternal health.

Conclusion: The teachings of Islam, because they are based on human nature, are the best guide to having a healthy life; therefore, the recommendations of Islam in maintaining the health of mothers can be used as one of the basic strategies to achieve the development goals of the third millennium.