Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with Ecological Systems Theory: Addressing Muslim Mental Health Issues and Wellbeing

Abstract

Muslims across the word underutilize mental health services for addressing their wellbeing and biopsychosocial, spiritual, and contextual issues. By 2030, the global Muslim population is expected to reach 2.2 billion people. This indicates that Muslim mental health is gaining importance and would require contextually (i.e., spiritually, culturally, empirically) more effective services. Practitioners used Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Ecological Systems Theory (EST) to promote wellbeing and address psychopathology for diverse groups. However, rigorous and comprehensive literature from 1986 to 2019 did not produce research addressing how ACT could be consumed to serve Muslims. Researchers in Muslim mental health have suggested benefitting from EST yet only few have mentioned using ACT. ACT is one of the most effective therapies based on randomized control trials to enhance wellbeing and address psychopathology. The main purposes of this paper are to (a) explain how ACT is one of the most appropriate counseling approaches to be utilized with Muslims because ACT and Islam have many commonalities and (b) propose ACT with EST perspective to enable a much more contextual perspective of ACT so that mental health professionals could promote wellbeing and address psychopathology at all ecological levels for all, starting with Muslims. With the arrival of third and fourth wave of counseling approaches, the use of positive psychology in research and practice has increased dramatically. ACT, Islam, and EST also highly stress a positive approach perspective thus considering of ACT and EST together might promise more effective research and practice in positive and abnormal psychology.

Psychological Maltreatment and Spiritual Wellbeing in Turkish College Young Adults: Exploring the Mediating Effect of College Belonging and Social Support

“…The findings also revealed that college belonging and social support mitigated the effect of it on spiritual wellbeing, which was consistent with the evidence from previous research, indicating that individuals with high levels of social support and belongingness reported greater spiritual wellbeing (Alorani and Alradaydeh 2018 ; Tanhan and Strack 2020 ; Weber and Cummings 2003 ). The need to belong is an essential psychological need for the human being that helps people to deal with adverse experiences (Baumeister and Leary 1995 ; Deci and Ryan 1985 ; Tanhan 2019 ). Specifically, school or college belonging has been linked to a variety of adjustment and wellbeing outcomes, such as fewer depressive symptoms, less loneliness, and greater life satisfaction (Civitci 2015 ; Mounts 2004 ; Pittman and Richmond 2007 ; Tanhan 2020 ).…”

“…These results indicate that having social support resources (e.g., friends, family) with whom fulfilling and meaningful relationships positively affect young adults’ spiritual wellbeing despite childhood maltreatment. People’s social support assets, therefore, improve their ability to cope with adversities (Arslan 2018b ; Cohen 2004 ; Tanhan 2019 ) by fostering resilience (Yıldırım and Çelik-Tanrıverdi 2020 ), and these assets also help them to receive support from others and to exhibit help-seeking behaviors in dealing with these experiences (Barker et al 2005 ; Schwarzer and Knoll 2007 ). Consistent with the findings of this study, studies reported that having social support was associated with better mental health and wellbeing (Arslan 2017c ; Arslan 2018b ; Arslan and Coşkun 2020 ; Bloom et al 2001 ; Cohen 2004 ; Cohen and Wills 1985 ; Kansky and Diener 2017 ; Tanhan 2020 ; Ye et al 2020 ), including college students’ spiritual wellbeing (Alorani and Alradaydeh 2018 ; Tanhan and Strack 2020 ; Weber and Cummings 2003 ).…”

“…Therefore, empirical evidence confirmed that social support promoted quality of life outcomes, physical and mental health (Duru et al 2019 ; Hale et al 2005 ; Hefner and Eisenberg 2009 ; Lavin et al 2020 ; Moore and Diener 2019 ; Tanhan and Francisco 2019 ), and college students’ spiritual wellbeing (Alorani and Alradaydeh 2018 ; Tanhan and Strack 2020 ; Weber and Cummings 2003 ). Positive relationships with other people are a fundamental component of wellbeing (Ryff and Keyes 1995 ; Tanhan 2019 ), and having social support resources foster people’s wellbeing in the face of adversities (Arslan 2018b ; Tanhan 2020 ). According to stress–buffer model, social support is an important coping mechanism to promote people’s mental health and wellbeing against stressors (Cohen and Wills 1985 ; Cohen et al 1986 ; Arslan et al 2021 ; Kızılgeçit et al 2021 ).…”

“…Spiritual wellbeing is characterized by a sense of purpose and meaning and a relationship with God (Ellison 1983 ; Tanhan 2019 ) and encompasses existential features reflecting one’s relations with the self, others, and a higher being (Hood-Morris 1996 ; Tanhan 2019 ). Spiritual wellbeing is emphasized as an important indicator of better mental health and wellbeing (Koenig 2009 ; Tanhan and Francisco 2019 ).…”

Loneliness, college belongingness, subjective vitality, and psychological adjustment during coronavirus pandemic: Development of the College Belongingness

“…Initial development and validation of the School Belongingness Scale. Child Indicators Research, 10(4), 1043-1058. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-016-9414-y Arslan, G., & Tanhan, A. (2019).…”