The Effect of Attitude and Prayer-Related Behaviors on Depression: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background and aims: Prayer means reading and asking for help and satisfying the need. The<br />prevalence of mental diseases has had an increasing trend in Iran. The aim of this study was to know<br />the role of attitudes and praying-related behaviors in the treatment of patients with depression in Iran.<br />Methods: By searching in the databases such as SID, Magiran, Medlib, Iranmedex, Google Scholar,<br />Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed, 16 relevant articles were extracted. Data were analyzed by<br />using meta-analysis (random effects model). Moreover, heterogenecity of the studies was checked<br />using Q and I2 statistics.<br />Results: To examine the relationship between the rate of depression and praying, it analyzed in both<br />case and control groups as pretest and posttest. It was reported that the rate of depression before the<br />test in the case group was 49.4 (95% CI: 34.04-64.04) and in the control group was 27.51 (95% CI:<br />15.51, 39.51). For the case group, it was reported that the rate of depression decreased to 12.43 (95%<br />CI: 2.4-22.4) and for the control group it was 19.83 (95% CI: 11.8-27.83).<br />Conclusion: The attitude and the praying-related behavior had positive effects on the depression of<br />individuals and it could cause the depression level diminishing. Therefore, this therapeutic approach<br />can be considered as a common method in the treatment of mental disorders and the psychologists<br />and the therapists can use this method for the treatment of their patients in therapeutic centers.