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Religious Moral Beliefs Inversely Related to Trauma Experiences Severity and Depression Severity among War Veterans in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the association of religious moral beliefs and depression severity of war veterans in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sample consists of male war veterans who were inpatients with clinically presented depression and those who were observed as healthy, regarding results of previous psychological testing (n = 65 both). The Bosnia–Herzegovina versions of Hopkins Symptom Checklist and Harvard Trauma Questionnaire with questionnaire for religious moral beliefs were applied. The religious moral belief index was inversely correlated to depression severity. The religious moral beliefs may help protection of the war veterans’ mental health stability after surviving multiple war traumas.

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Notes

  1. Historically, the Magnificent God, through His prophets, announced that it is forbidden to kill people, and such laws were more or less passed by all state or social organizations, with the aim to provide peace and freedom for all people. No explanation can be found for killing the innocent because anyone has right to live! But, there were always people who were disobeying this decrees and recommendations by committing crimes against other people. Therefore, certain category of these criminals is punished by death, and in some jurisprudence, this punishment is still preserved. In certain situations, such as defensive wars, for example, human is forced to perform such an act, and even then must keep in mind the principles of humanity and justice.

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Acknowledgments

This study supported by the Tuzla Canton Ministry for Culture, Sport and Education, University Clinical Center Tuzla, University Clinical Center Tuzla, so this is the opportunity to express our gratefulness to all of them. Also, we should like to thank to war veterans and to officers of those who were not clinically treated that accepted to participate in this study.

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Correspondence to Mevludin Hasanović.

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Hasanović, M., Pajević, I. Religious Moral Beliefs Inversely Related to Trauma Experiences Severity and Depression Severity among War Veterans in Bosnia and Herzegovina. J Relig Health 52, 730–739 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-012-9643-4

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