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The Effect of Holy Qur’an Recitation on Anxiety in Hemodialysis Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial

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Abstract

Kidney disease and its related psychological costs have significantly increased in recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of Qur’an recitation on anxiety in hemodialysis patients. Sixty hemodialysis patients were randomized to either Qur’an recitation or a control group. Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was completed by patients at baseline and 1 month afterward. The intervention involved listening to the recitation of the Qur’an in traditional cantillation voice. The control group received no intervention. The data were analyzed using Student’s t test and general linear models. Recitation of the Qur’an was effective in reducing anxiety in the intervention group, decreasing STAI score at baseline from 128.5 (SD = 13.0) to 82.1 (SD = 11.3), compared to the control group which experienced no change in anxiety scores from baseline to follow-up (118.3, SD = 14.5, vs. 120.1, SD = 14.4, respectively. Between-subject comparison at follow-up, after adjusting for baseline differences, indicated a significant reduction in anxiety in the intervention versus the control group (F = 15.5, p = 0.0002, Cohen’s d = 1.03). Listening to the Holy Qur’an being recited is an effective intervention for anxiety in patients undergoing hemodialysis in Iran.

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Acknowledgments

The present study was the part of a thesis by an MSc student of Critical Care Nursing. The authors wish to thank all of the participants in the present study. Their willingness to share their experiences and insights made this study possible. The authors also extend our gratitude to Semnan University of Medical Sciences for financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nursing Department, Nursing and Allied Health Faculty, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, 5 Kilometer of Damghan Road, PO Box 3513138111, Semnan, Iran

    Hassan Babamohamadi & Changiz Jahani

  2. Psychiatry Department, Nursing and Allied Health Faculty, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, 5 Kilometer of Damghan Road, PO Box 3513138111, Semnan, Iran

    Nemat Sotodehasl

  3. Center for Spirituality, Theology, and Health, Duke University Medical Center, Busse Building, Suite 0505, Box 3400, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Harold G. Koenig

  4. King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Harold G. Koenig

  5. Research Center for Social Determinants of Health, Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, 5 Kilometer of Damghan Road, PO Box 3513138111, Semnan, Iran

    Raheb Ghorbani

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  1. Hassan Babamohamadi
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  2. Nemat Sotodehasl
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  3. Harold G. Koenig
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  4. Changiz Jahani
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Correspondence to Nemat Sotodehasl.

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Babamohamadi, H., Sotodehasl, N., Koenig, H.G. et al. The Effect of Holy Qur’an Recitation on Anxiety in Hemodialysis Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Relig Health 54, 1921–1930 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-014-9997-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-014-9997-x

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