Religiously and Spiritually Adapted Interventions for Mental Health of Muslim Populations

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 16 Randomised Controlled Trials

Bibliographic Data

ID24234347
AuthorsR N Gurbuz-Dogan (0000-0001-7377-4179, Ankara Sosyal Bilimler Üniversitesi), Hatice Bal (0009-0004-8917-9736, Ankara Sosyal Bilimler Üniversitesi), Süeda Nur Mermer (0000-0003-3966-8510, Ankara Sosyal Bilimler Üniversitesi), Fatma Betül Özçelik (0009-0004-0353-2341, Ankara Sosyal Bilimler Üniversitesi), Firdevs Orujova (0009-0007-9707-6253, Ankara Sosyal Bilimler Üniversitesi)
Year2026
Volume25
Issue1
Pages178-225
Publication date2026-06-30
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHitit İlahiyat Dergisi (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2757-6949 • E-ISSN: 2757-6957
PublisherHitit University (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.14395/hid.1873679
LanguageTR
References cited39

Religious and spiritual components are increasingly integrated into contemporary mental health interventions, largely due to their potential to enhance cultural relevance, personal meaning, and therapeutic engagement. In Muslim societies, where religious beliefs and practices often shape individuals’ worldview, coping mechanisms, and interpretations of psychological distress, the integration of religion and spirituality into mental health care may offer particular clinical value. While interest in this field continues to expand, there remains a valuable opportunity to strengthen the empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of these interventions for mental health disorders in Muslim populations. To address this gap, the present study systematically reviewed and quantitatively synthesized findings from randomized controlled trials examining the impact of religiously and spiritually adapted interventions on common mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. A structured literature search was conducted between March and July 2024 using multiple international and national databases, namely Google Scholar, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, YOKTEZ, and ULAKBIM. Studies published in either Turkish or English were considered eligible. Following the identification of relevant records, titles, abstracts, and keywords were screened, and potentially eligible studies underwent full-text assessment based on predefined inclusion criteria. Only randomized controlled trials conducted with Muslim samples and evaluating interventions that explicitly incorporated religious or spiritual elements were included. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed in accordance with the Cochrane Handbook guidelines, with particular attention paid to selection, performance, detection, attrition, and reporting biases. Quantitative synthesis was performed for depression and anxiety outcomes using a random-effects meta-analytic model to account for between-study heterogeneity. The review protocol was prospectively registered in the PROSPERO database. From an initial pool of 16,977 records, a total of 16 randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria, representing a combined sample of up to 1030 participants across outcomes. The interventions examined across these studies were diverse and included Qur’anic recitation, Sufi music-based approaches, and psychotherapeutic interventions adapted to incorporate religious beliefs and practices. In the reviewed studies, depression and anxiety emerged as primary outcomes, while obsessive-compulsive symptoms and psychological well-being were identified as secondary outcomes. The meta-analytic findings demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in depressive symptoms among participants receiving religiously and spiritually integrated interventions, although a high degree of heterogeneity was observed across studies. Interventions targeting obsessive-compulsive disorder yielded notable symptom reductions, particularly in cases involving religiously themed obsessions and compulsions, suggesting potential relevance for culturally sensitive treatment approaches in this domain. In contrast, findings related to anxiety outcomes were inconsistent, limiting the strength of pooled conclusions. Evidence concerning broader psychological well-being outcomes was mixed; while interventions such as Sufi music therapy were associated with positive psychological effects, practices like Ramadan fasting did not produce statistically significant changes. Several methodological challenges were identified across the included studies, including small sample sizes, substantial variability in intervention content and duration, and inconsistencies in outcome measurement and reporting practices. Taken together, the findings indicate that religiously and spiritually integrated interventions may offer beneficial effects for certain common mental health outcomes among Muslim populations. These interventions may facilitate greater treatment acceptability, provide spiritual and emotional support, and strengthen the therapeutic alliance by aligning clinical practices with participants’ religious and cultural frameworks. However, the existing evidence base is constrained by methodological limitations. Future research should emphasize standardized intervention protocols, larger and more representative samples, extended follow-up periods, and more rigorous reporting standards. Such efforts would advance the evidence base and support the development of culturally responsive clinical practices in Muslim contexts.

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