Association between Religious Beliefs With Anxiety and Depression in Family Members of Hospitalized Patients

Background and Objective: Patients’ hospitalization is always stressful for their family members. Belief in God and religiousness are assumed to have vigorous preventive effect on psychiatric disorders, stress and anxiety. Reliance on God can decrease the concerns resulting from severe diseases. When an individual suffers from a long- lasting and complicated disease and its consequent disabilities, trusts in God, would be helpful to admit disease consequences which subsequently prevents or at least diminishes psychological adverse effects. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-correlative study analyzed the level of anxiety in ۱۰۰ family members of hospitalized patients admitted to the intensive cardiac care units. The anxiety levels in patients’ family members were analyzed using HADS (Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale) and Religious Beliefs Measurements Scale. The reliability and validity of the scales had already been confirmed by Aghamohammadi and coworkers. The results were analyzed using statistical procedures of Chi-square and correlation tests and logistic regression. Results: ۵۳.۲% of the individuals were suffering from anxiety and ۵۶.۴% had depression. In persons with no anxiety or depression the relation with strong religious beliefs was significant as shown by Chi-square test (P<۰.۰۵). However, ۳۱.۲% and ۳۳.۲% of the patients’ family members who had depression and anxiety respectively, showed a meaningful relation with average religious beliefs (P<۰.۰۵). Conclusion: Religious beliefs have a positive effect on reducing depression and anxiety. Reinforcement of beliefs can reduce depression side effects such as suicide attempts, addiction, immoral actions, personality disorders and sexual disorders.