Incorporating a religious and sociocultural component in the treatment program rapidly improved anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients with strong religious and cultural backgrounds. The present study demonstrates a need for more sensitivity to religious-sociocultural issues in the field of mental health.
This study investigated the effectiveness of incorporating sociocultural and religious aspects in the management of anxiety among Muslim patients of ethnic Malay origin. Eighty-five religious and 80 non-religious patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) were randomly assigned to the study or control group. Both groups received a standard treatment for GAD, although the study group received additional religious-cultural psychotherapy (RCP). Patients were followed up and assessed periodically for six months. Religious patients receiving RCP showed significantly more rapid improvement in anxiety symptoms than those in the control group. The difference, however, became non-significant at the end of six months. There was no significant difference in improvement between the study and control group of non-religious patients. We concluded that RCP rapidly improved anxiety symptoms in Muslim patients with a strong religious background.
Psychological mindedness (PM) can partly explain depressive symptoms in caregivers of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This cross-sectional study examines PM in mediating the relationship between dysfunctional coping styles and depressive symptoms. Design and Methods One hundred fifty-five adult ASD caregivers completed the Malay version of Brief COPE, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Balanced Index of PM. Findings Direct paths between dysfunctional coping style and depressive symptoms, between insight and depressive symptoms, and between dysfunctional coping style and all PM variables (insight and interest) were obtained. Multiple regression analyses revealed that insight, but not interest, significantly mediates the relationship between dysfunctional coping and depressive symptoms. Practical Implications PM can be enhanced via psychological interventions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.