SpringerLink
Log in

An Investigation of Islamic Well-Being and Mental Health

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Religion and Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The overall aim of this study was to develop the Islamic Well-Being Scale and examine the relationship between mental health and Islamic well-being. In this study, four sub-studies were performed to create the one-factor Islamic Well-Being Scale, perform a confirmatory factor analysis and validate the Islamic Well-Being Scale, differentially predict ill-being and well-being outcomes using the Islamic Well-Being Scale, and compare individuals with different Islamic belief levels using the Islamic Well-Being Scale. In total, 170 adults, 209 adults, 216 theological faculty students and 152 undergraduate educational faculty students participated in each sub-study. Several scales related to well-being and ill-being were used in this study. The Islamic Well-Being Scale was found to be valid and reliable. Islamic well-being was related to certain indicators of well-being and ill-being.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abdel-Khalek, A. M. (2010). Quality of life, subjective well-being, and religiosity in Muslim college students. Quality of Life Research,19(8), 1133–1143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-010-9676-7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Abdel-Khalek, A. M., & Lester, D. (2007). Religiosity, health and psychopathology in two cultures: Kuwait and USA. Mental Health, Religion and Culture,10, 537–550. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674670601166505.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abdel-Khalek, A. M., & Naceur, F. (2007). Religiosity and its association with positive and negative emotions among college students from Algeria. Mental Health, Religion and Culture,10(2), 159–170. https://doi.org/10.1080/13694670500497197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abdel-Khalek, A. M., & Thorson, J. A. (2006). Religiosity and death anxiety in Egyptian and American college students. In M. V. Landow (Ed.), College students: Mental health and co** strategies (pp. 167–185). New York, NY: Nova Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Abu-Raiya, H., & Pargament, K. I. (2011). Empirically based psychology of Islam: Summary and critique of the literature. Mental Health, Religion and Culture,14(2), 93–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674670903426482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Achour, M., Nor, M. R. M., Amel, B., Seman, H. M. B., & MohdYusoff, M. Y. Z. (2017). Religious commitment and its relation to happiness among Muslim students: The educational level as moderator. Journal of Religion and Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0361-9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Achour, M., Nor, M. R. M., & Yusoff, M. Y. Z. M. (2015). Work–family demands and subjective well-being among female academicians: The role of Muslim Religiosity. Review of Religious Research,57(3), 419–433. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13644-015-0221-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aflakseir, A., & Coleman, P. G. (2009). The influence of religious co** on the mental health of disabled Iranian war veterans. Mental Health, Religion and Culture,12(2), 175–190. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674670802428563.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Akın, A., & Taş, İ. (2015). Meaning in life questionnaire: A study of validity and reliability. Electronic Turkish Studies,10(3), 27–36. https://doi.org/10.7827/TurkishStudies.7860.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alavi, H. R. (2007). Correlatives of happiness in the university students of Iran (a religious approach). Journal of Religion and Health,46, 480–499. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-007-9115-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Annas, J. (2000). Ancient philosophy: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baroun, K. A. (2006). Relations among religiosity, health, happiness and anxiety of Kuwaiti adolescents. Psychological Reports,99, 717–722. https://doi.org/10.2466/PR0.99.3.717-722.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry,11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delle Fave, A., & Bassi, M. (2009). The contribution of diversity to happiness research. The Journal of Positive Psychology,4(3), 205–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760902844319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Derogatis, L. R. (1992). The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI): Administration, scoring and procedures manual-II. Baltimore, MD: Clinical Psychometric Research Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin,95, 542–575. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.95.3.542.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E. D., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment,49(1), 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Biswas-Diener, R., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi, D., et al. (2009). New measures of wellbeing. Social Indicators Research Series. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2354-412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doğan, T. (2011). Two dimensional self-esteem: Adaptation of the self liking/self competence scale into Turkish: A validity and reliability scale. Education and Science,36(162), 126–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doğan, T., & Çötok, N. (2011). Oxford mutluluk ölçeği kısa formunun Türkçe uyarlaması: geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması [Adaptation of the short form of the Oxford happiness Questionnaire into Turkish: A validity and reliability study]. Türk Psikolojik Danışma ve Rehberlik Dergisi,4(36), 165–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • El Azayem, G. A., & Hedayat-Diba, Z. (1994). The psychological aspects of Islam: Basic principles of Islam and their psychological corollary. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion,4(1), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327582ijpr0401_6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellison, C. G. (1991). Religious involvement and subjective well-being. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour,32, 80–99.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eryilmaz, A. (2014). Herkes İçin Mutluluğun Başucu Kitabı: Kuramdan Uygulamaya Pozitif Psikoloji [The book of happiness: Positive psychology]. Pegem Yayınevi: Ankara.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eryilmaz, A. (2015). Investigation of the relations between religious activities and subjective well-being of high school students. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice,15(2), 433–444. https://doi.org/10.12738/estp.2015.2.2327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eryılmaz, A. (2007). Alan genel algılanan kontrol ölçeğinin geliştirilmesi. [The development of domain general perceived control] I. Psikoloji Öğrencileri Lisansüstü Öğrencileri Kongresi Bildiri Metinleri, İzmir Ekonomi Üniversitesi Yayınları no. 15, 62–68.

  • Francis, L. J., & Robbins, M. (2000). Religion and happiness: A study in empirical theology. Transpersonal Psychology Review,4, 17–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gençöz, T. (2000). Positive and negative affect schedule: A study of validity and reliability. Turkish Journal of Psychology,46, 19–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghorbani, N., & Watson, P. J. (2006). Religious orientation types in Iranian Muslims: Differences in alexithymia, emotional intelligence, self-consciousness, and psychological adjustment. Review of Religious Research,47, 303–310.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haque, A. (2004). Religion and mental health: The case of American Muslims. Journal of Religion and Health,43(1), 45–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haybron, D. M. (2000). Two philosophical problems in the study of happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies,1(2), 207–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hills, P., & Argyle, M. (2001). Emotional stability as a major dimension of happiness. Personality and Individual Differences,31(8), 1357–1364. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(00)00229-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hisli, N. (1989). Validity and reliability of Beck Depression Scale in university students. Turkish Journal of Psychology,7(3), 13–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Husain, S. A. (1998). Religion and mental health from the Muslim perspective. In H. G. Koenig (Ed.), Handbook of religion and mental health (pp. 279–291). New York, NY: Academic Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Joshanloo, M. (2013). A comparison of Western and Islamic conceptions of happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies,14(6), 1857–1874. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-012-9406-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kamal, Z., & Loewenthal, K. M. (2002). Suicide beliefs and behaviour among young Muslims and Hindus in the UK. Mental Health, Religion and Culture,5(2), 111–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674670210141052.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khademi, E. (2009). Ways of obtaining happiness from the Avicenna’s point of view. Andisheye Novine Dini,5(19), 9–41. (in Persian).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, R. E., Clark, A. E., Georgellis, Y., & Diener, E. (2003). Reexamining adaptation and the set point model of happiness: Reactions to changes in marital status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,84(3), 527. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.3.527.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lyubomirsky, S. (2001). Why are some people happier than others? American Psychologist,56, 239–249.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lyubomirsky, S., & Lepper, H. S. (1999). A measure of subjective happiness: Preliminary reliability and construct validation. Social Indicators Research,46(2), 137–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mattila, J. (2011). Philosophy as a path to happiness: Attainment of happiness in Arabic peripatetic and Ismaili philosophy. Helsinki: The University of Helsinki.

    Google Scholar 

  • Myers, D. G., & Diener, E. (1995). Who is happy? Psychological Science,6(1), 10–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1995.tb00298.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers, J. E., Sweeney, T. J., & Witmer, J. M. (2000). The wheel of wellness counseling for wellness: A holistic model for treatment planning. Journal of Counseling and Development,78(3), 251–266. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.2000.tb01906.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nasr, S. H. (2003). Islam: Religion, history, and civilization. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paloutzian, R. F., & Park, C. L. (2005). Integrative themes in the current science of the psychology of religion. In R. F. Paloutzian & C. L. Park (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality (pp. 3–20). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pargament, K. I., & Abu-Raiya, H. (2007). A decade of research on the psychology of religion and co**: Things we assumed and lessons we learned. Psyke and Logos,28, 742–766.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,57(6), 1069–1081. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.57.6.1069.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,69(4), 719–727. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.4.719.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Şahin, N. H., Batıgün, A. D., & Ugurtaş, S. (2002). Kısa Semptom Envanteri: Ergenler için Kullanımı [Psychometric properties of the Brief Symptom Inventory for the Turkish adolescents]. Türk Psikiyatri Dergisi,13(2), 21–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sahraian, A., Gholami, A., Javadpour, A., & Omidvar, B. (2013). Association between religiosity and happiness among a group of Muslim undergraduate students. Journal of Religion and Health,52(2), 450–453. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-011-9484-6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sajedi, A. (2008). Religion and mental health. Journal of Psychology and Religion,2, 7–35. (in Persian).

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, R. (2010). An Islamic approach to psychology and mental health. Mental Health, Religion and Culture,13(6), 547–551. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2010.488441.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slife, B. D. (2012). Virtue ethics in practice: The Greenbrier Academy. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology,32(1), 35–42. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026443.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spilka, B., Hood, R. W., Hunsberger, B., & Gorsuch, R. (2003). The psychology of religion: An empirical approach (3rd ed.). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology,53(1), 80–93. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.53.1.80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tafarodi, R. W., & Swann, W. B. (2001). Two-dimensional self-esteem: Theory and measurement. Personality and Individual Differences,31(5), 653–673. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(00)00169-0.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Telef, B. B. (2013). Psikolojik İyi Oluş Ölçeği: Türkçeye uyarlama, geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması [The adaptation of psychological well-being into Turkish: A validity and reliability study]. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi,28(23), 374–384.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tellegen, A., Watson, D., & Clark, L. A. (1999). Further support for a hierarchical model of affect: Reply to Green and Salovey. Psychological Science,10(4), 307–309. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiliouine, H., Cummins, R. A., & Davern, M. (2009). Islamic religiosity, subjective well being, and health. Mental Health, Religion and Culture,12(1), 55–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674670802118099.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uysal, V. (1995). İslami dindarlık ölçeği üzerine bir pilot çalışma [A pilot study for Islamic religiousty]. İslami Araştırmalar,8, 263–271.

    Google Scholar 

  • Veenhoven, R. (2003). Hedonism and happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies,4(4), 437–457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D., Tellegen, A., & Clark, L. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,54, 1063–1070. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.54.6.1063.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wills, E. (2009). Spirituality and subjective well-being: Evidences for a new domain in the Personal Well being Index. Journal of Happiness Studies,10(1), 49–69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-007-9061-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yetim, Ü. (1993). Life satisfaction: A study based on the organization of personal projects. Social Indicators Research,29, 277–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Yıldız Technical University, Davutpaşa Campus, Davutpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey

    Ali Eryilmaz

  2. Faculty of Theology, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey

    Naci Kula

Authors
  1. Ali Eryilmaz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Naci Kula
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ali Eryilmaz.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Appendix: İslami İyi Oluş Ölçeği (İİOÖ)

Appendix: İslami İyi Oluş Ölçeği (İİOÖ)

Aşağıda dini inançlarınızla ilgili ifadeler yer almaktadır. Her ifadeyi size uygunluğu açısından değerlendiriniz.

  

Hiç uygun Değil

Uygun Değil

Uygun

Tamamen uygun

1

Günlük yaşantımda farzları yapmak için çaba sarf ederim

    

2

Günlük yaşantımda günahlardan korunmak için gerekenleri yapmak beni mutlu eder

    

3

Günlük yaşantımda imanımı artırmak için davranışlarda bulunurum (Kur’an ya da tefsir okumak, ibadet yapmak)

    

4

Günlük yaşantımda günahlardan korunmak için gerekenleri yaparım

    

5

Günlük yaşantımda farzları yapmak için çaba sarf etmek beni mutlu eder

    

6

Günlük yaşantımda farzları yerine getirmek en önemli amacımdır

    

7

Günlük yaşantımda imanımı nasıl artıracağımı düşünürüm.

    

8

Günlük yaşantımda günahlardan nasıl korunacağımı düşünürüm.

    

9

Günlük yaşantımda imanımı artırmak için davranışlarda bulunmak beni mutlu eder

    

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Eryilmaz, A., Kula, N. An Investigation of Islamic Well-Being and Mental Health. J Relig Health 59, 1096–1114 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-018-0588-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-018-0588-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation