Islamic Religious Coping and its Effects on Psychological Distress Implications for Practice in Pakistan

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to understand the influence of Islamic religious coping on psychological distress and identify any implications in the context of Pakistan. The study adopted a narrative literature review in order to cover both quantitative and qualitative perspectives of the research question. The data collection process involved collecting peer-reviewed journal articles written on religious coping and their influence on various mental disorders that cause psychological stress in the last 12 years. The results, discussed under two themes, revealed that Islamic religious coping can be a suitable alternative as well as serve to support conventional psychotherapy used by psychologists and psychiatrists alike. The research also revealed various religious coping techniques and strategies being used by Muslims and discussed their implications by referring to the available literature. Overall, the study can serve as a guideline for psychologists who are looking to incorporate Islamic religious coping into psychotherapy treatments of their clients in order to improve the effectiveness of their treatment in Pakistan.