نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 کارشناسی ارشد، روانشناسی اسلامی ـ مثبتگرا، دانشکده علوم تربیتی و روانشناسی، دانشگاه معارف قرآن و عترت، اصفهان، ایران
2 استاد، دانشکده روانشناسی و علوم تربیتی، دانشگاه اصفهان، اصفهان، ایران
3 استادیار گروه مشاوره، دانشکده علوم تربیتی و روانشناسی، دانشگاه معارف قرآن و عترت، اصفهان، ایران.
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Extended Abstract
Introduction and Objectives: Mental health is defined as one of the fundamental pillars of human capital, extending beyond the mere absence of mental disorders to a state of well-being in which an individual can recognize their abilities, cope effectively with normal life stresses, work productively, and contribute constructively to their community. This comprehensive definition emphasizes psychological, social, and, more recently, spiritual well-being. The World Health Organization, in its revised definition of health, has added a fourth dimension—spirituality—to the physical, mental, and social dimensions. In this context, religion and spirituality, as influential components of human life, play a decisive role in the formation, maintenance, and promotion of mental health.
Among religious beliefs, monotheistic beliefs—the belief in one God—hold a special position as the most foundational principle in many religions. These beliefs can serve as a resource for coping with life’s challenges by providing a meaningful framework, fostering a sense of connection with a higher power, and offering a solid ethical model. However, despite the theoretical importance of this construct, a methodological gap exists in its measurement. Existing psychometric tools for assessing religiosity often focus on emotional and ritualistic aspects and less specifically on measuring ontological monotheistic beliefs. This gap highlights the necessity for designing and validating a reliable and valid instrument to assess these beliefs within the cultural context of Iranian society.
The primary objective of this research was to design and validate a questionnaire for assessing monotheistic beliefs and subsequently to investigate the relationship between these beliefs and mental health in an Iranian sample. Obtaining such a tool can enable more precise research on the role of these foundational beliefs.
Research Method:This study employed a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design conducted in four stages. In the first stage (qualitative), aiming to identify the themes and components of monotheistic beliefs, thematic analysis was used inductively. Data for this stage were collected from two primary sources: 1) conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with experts in Islamic sciences, and 2) studying authentic religious texts (Quranic verses and reliable Hadiths). The qualitative data were analyzed according to Braun and Clarke’s six-step model, and its trustworthiness was confirmed.
In the second stage, based on the extracted themes, the initial framework of the questionnaire was designed, and a preliminary questionnaire with 108 items was developed. The items were structured within three main domains—”Cognition” (monotheistic knowledge), “Behavior” (the manifestation of beliefs in actions), and “Character” (the transformation of beliefs into stable ethical traits)—with a distinction between intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects.
The third stage was dedicated to the final construction and validation of the Monotheistic Beliefs Questionnaire. First, content validity was assessed through a survey of 15 specialists. Then, to examine construct validity, the questionnaire was administered to a sample of 543 individuals from the Iranian population over 18 years old (using online convenience sampling). Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis. The results indicated a good fit for the measurement model, leading to the finalization of a questionnaire with 50 items and six subscales. The reliability of the entire questionnaire, calculated using Cronbach’s alpha, was 0.90. Convergent and discriminant validity were also tested on a separate sample of 129 individuals.
The fourth stage, aiming to investigate the relationship and predict mental health based on monotheistic beliefs, was conducted using correlational and regression methods. In this stage, the final Monotheistic Beliefs Questionnaire along with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) were administered to a sample of 434 residents of Isfahan city. After removing outliers, analyses were performed on data from 396 participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26.
Findings:The validation findings indicated that the final questionnaire model had a good fit (Figure 1). The instrument’s reliability was also confirmed at an acceptable level. Examination of convergent validity showed a positive and significant correlation between the Monotheistic Beliefs Questionnaire and the belief subscale of Khodayari et al.’s religiosity questionnaire (r = 0.633) and with the intrinsic religious orientation subscale of the Allport Scale (r = 0.509). Furthermore, a negative and significant correlation with the extrinsic religious orientation subscale of the Allport Scale (r = -0.539) indicated appropriate discriminant validity (p < 0.01).
Figure 1. Proposed model of the entire Beliefs Questionnaire
In examining the relationship with mental health, Pearson correlation results indicated a positive and significant relationship between the total score of monotheistic beliefs and all its subscales with the mental health score (p < 0.05). Results of the stepwise regression analysis for predicting mental health based on the subscales of monotheistic beliefs showed that three variables—Interpersonal Character, Intrapersonal Behavior, and Intrapersonal Character—entered the equation sequentially, collectively explaining 16.7% of the variance in mental health.
Table 1: Summary of the Stepwise Regression Model for Predictors of Mental Health Based on Monotheistic Beliefs
Variables Added to the Model
R
R2
Standard Error of Estimate
R2 Change (R-squared)
F Change
Df1
Df2
Statistical Significance
Criterion Variable: Mental Health
0/001
394
1
62/108
0/136
7/593
0/136
0/369
Interpersonal Character
0/001
393
1
10/833
0/023
7/500
0/159
0/399
Interpersonal Character + Intrapersonal Behavior
0/001
392
1
3/922
0/008
7/472
0/168
0/409
Interpersonal Character + Intrapersonal Behavior + Intrapersonal Character
Discussion and Final Conclusion:This study successfully designed and validated a questionnaire for assessing monotheistic beliefs within the Iranian-Islamic context. The resulting conceptual framework confirms that monotheistic belief is a multidimensional construct manifesting in an individual’s cognition, behavior, and character. The distinction between intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions also emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the religious perspective.
The findings confirm a positive relationship between monotheistic beliefs and mental health. The results indicate that the manifestation of monotheistic beliefs in the form of stable ethical virtues in interaction with others (Interpersonal Character) is more strongly associated with psychological well-being than other dimensions. This finding can be explained by the fact that a significant portion of human stressors and psychological needs arise within the context of social relationships, and monotheistic beliefs, by providing ethical principles, can enhance the quality of these relationships.
Among the study’s limitations are the self-report nature of the data and the focus of the fourth-stage sampling on Isfahan province. It is suggested that this instrument be used in future research to examine its relationship with other psychological variables and in the design of spiritual clinical interventions.
Acknowledgements :Sincere gratitude is extended to all professors and participants in this research, especially the presidents of the University of Religions and Denominations and the University of Culture and Islamic Studies in Qom, who assisted in the sampling process.
Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that there are no conflict of interest in this research and all research costs were coverd by them.
کلیدواژهها [English]
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