They were conducted face-to-face and in Persian; all interviews were audio-recorded and then transcribed verbatim. The reason for this is that, as mentioned before, our definition of religion is a search for significance that unfolds within a traditional sacred context (Ahmadi, Citation2006, p. 72). Cultural beliefs affect health and wellness through the information that it provides for its people. In the first pattern, religious actions are rooted in religious beliefs. Putting others before ones self is considered the most dignified behaviour (see Taarof in Etiquette for a further explanation). Under it, Islamic theologians and mullahs constitute the highest ranks of leadership. According to Majlesi (Citation1982) (a very important religious figure in Iran) (p. 209), the reward (savab) of pilgrimage of Imam Rezas tomb in Mashhad (Iran) is equal to one thousand hajes- pilgrim to Macca. When she tries to address the issue with her mother and husband, shes turned away. The quotes used in this part, which were recorded in Persian, have been translated into English. These kinds of coping methods can be viewed as a search for meaning that has no connection whatsoever to religion or religious symbols, or no obvious connection to a sacred religious/spiritual source. The present article is based on an international study on meaning-making coping aimed at understanding the role of culture in coping. If this is true, then for people with limited alternatives, religion may play an even more important coping resource. Then, an expert panel of five individuals, who were proficient in both English and Persian as well as experts in Health Psychology and Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, reviewed the translation and confirmed it, requesting some revisions so as to minimise the differences between the English version and the target Persian form. Among Muslims, the idea of testing (Ekhtebar) is rather robust. The primary beverage is black tea. Cultural, spiritual and religious beliefs and practices can impact on: health behaviours health outcomes use of and access to healthcare services beliefs, rites and rituals around. Dating practices vary significantly between regions, and are impacted by attitudes and education. He gave me my life and He can take it back. These are sometimes called 'cultural value preferences'. 5 Howick Place | London | SW1P 1WG. Serkeh: Vinegar symbolizes age and patience. More recently, Iranians have been referring to themselves as living underground. The individual derives a social network and assistance in times of need from the family. We will try by sociologically analyzing the results, to discuss the role of cultural beliefs in coping. God tells us if you act, I will support you. Passive Religious Deferral refers to passive waiting for God to control the situation. Research by Ahmad Ali Noorbala and colleagues from Tehran University of Medical Sciences shows women in Iran have a greater incidence of mental disorders than women in Western cultures. Family culture influences the way each family member thinks, feels, and acts on a daily basis. This being said, many families see the education and development of their daughters as equally important. Illness may be considered a product of Gods will, and thus accepted or as in the story of Job viewed as educational theodicy (Dein & Stygall, Citation1997). While it borders seven different countries, the Iranian people do not seem to affiliate themselves with the Arab world; nor do they share much commonality with those in South/Central Asia. They are also sometimes taught early that the protection of family honour also resides with them. Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine. Several Iranian dishes originated from the Greeks, Arabs, Turks and Russians. Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab. The interviews varied in length, from around one hour to one and half hours. One of the methods in this category is Benevolent Religious Reappraisal: using religion to redefine the stressor as benevolent and potentially beneficial. Significant class differences were exacerbated through periods of recent economic hardship and instability. Iranian culture has influenced cultures and peoples in different parts of the world including Europe, East Asia, and South Asia. I can talk to Him, even talk to the saints. A Minor Leap Down, an Iranian film featured at international film festivals in Berlin and Toronto, illustrates the struggle of a 30-year-old Iranian woman named Nahal, whose deteriorating mental health is undermined by her family. All people may gain the prestige of a familys success or bear the responsibility for a familys dishonour. One usually turns immediately to family for assistance and may tell their problems and issues only to their family members. Eyes, although tremendously important in sexual and affectional relations, are also regarded an important body part because they can attract evil. To request a reprint or commercial or derivative permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below. The Middle East consists of . Relevance to clinical practice The larger study has been conducted among cancer patients in 10 countries. A health belief system has four key components: perceived susceptibility. Reducing health . Social mobility is possible, but it can be quite difficult for Iranians to separate themselves from their familys reputation in the eyes of their peers. We find two patterns regarding such connectedness. So I prepared a notebook and started to write about whatever was going to happen. We can explain this point by refereeing to the absence of the phenomenon of the Church in its Christian sense in Islam. between religion, personal values or beliefs, and a professional clinical judgement. Results and Discussion on religious coping methods (RCOPE), https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2018.1555699, https://journals.bmsu.ac.ir/jbs/index.php/jbs/article/view/593, 10.1002/(SICI)1097-4679(200004)56:4<519::AID-JCLP6>3.0.CO;2-1, http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/research_tools/translation/en, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing & Allied Health. It is a common belief that these actions are good actions that satisfy God and pursue Him to help them. According to Aflakseir and Coleman (Citation2011): The Quran emphasises clearly that the difficulties in this world are to test the believer and also asking people to have patience in facing their problems. Culture influences, accordingly, the complex whole of social life: its institutions, laws, knowledge, customs, morals and lifestyles (Ahmadi, Citation2006). Table 1 shows the demographic characteristics of the informants. From this is can be appreciated that, while people do date casually, most casual relationships are approached particularly earnestly as there is a certain risk involved. I did Nazr without understanding why. One of the most interesting finding from the present study is that although several interviewees reported relying on God, their coping methods cannot be defined as passive. Those families that have connections with the government are sometimes afforded latitude to deviate from strict rules, or they may receive more lenient consequences for their actions. In this pattern, praying to and conversing with saints and imams are in focus; one interesting finding was that no one reported having turned to Clergies in this respect. Attributions and adjustment by cancer patients, Attitude of patients living in Switzerland about cancer and its treatment, Positive psychology from Islamic perspective, Pilgrimage and its dual functions in Iranian Shiitsm, Beliefs about causes of cancer in cancer patients, Uppsala University, Department of Theology, The many methods of religious coping: Development and initial validation of the RCOPE. Education, wealth and ethnic or tribal associations can all affect a persons social standing. External Factors. One of the most notable characteristics of the Iranian people is their thirst for knowledge. We recognise that personal beliefs and cultural practices are central to the lives of doctors and patients, and that all doctors have personal values that affect their day-to-day practice. In this respect, two interviewees understood their collaboration with God as follows: I dont believe in predestination. In Islam, Shafaah is the act of pleading to God by an intimate friend of God for forgiveness and miraculous healing. In many studies in the field of coping, the terms religious and spiritual have been used to address coping methods that are essentially based on existential issues. The interviews occurred in a private room at the Behnam Daheshpour Charity Organization; there were no interruptions. Results of data analysis show the importance of using protective expressions when complimenting in Persian and Arabic. Ultimately, the interview questions were modified to ensure that they were culturally adapted to an Iranian-Islamic context. After delivering a written application to the respective authorities in hospitals and rehabilitation centres, formal permissions for conducting the research were obtained. Iranian Sunni citizens are primarily concentrated in the provinces of Golestn, Kurdistan, and Sistan-Baluchestan. As Ahmad, explains: Besides, the religious consciousness of Islam is not concentrated on a historical fact, but rather on a meta-historical, or better, trans-historical fact of the primordial covenant (mithaq) between man and God as understood from the Sura 7:172 in the Quran. Patients then use the data forwarded to families and family members to come to a solid understanding of their health status. Chief Editor: Robert T. Muller, The Trauma and Mental Health Report. Registered in England & Wales No. Families tend to be small, only 1 or 2 children, but the extended family is quite close. Culture is a tool that its members use to assure their survival and well-being, as well as provide meaning to life. Figure 1, presented by Ahmadi and Ahmadi (Citation2018), depicts the relation between religious, spiritual and secular existential coping observed in our project. Iranian Clothing - What to wear while traveling to Iran? The history of the Italian people, their . Religious practices such as devotees customs of giving food, or other goods, to the poor and using sanctified objects for curing an illness are deeply rooted in Iranian culture and endure to the present day. Iranian culture is patriarchal, legally and culturally males have more rights and privileges than females. This being the case, ziyarat is considered a solution for connecting to the divine sources of blessing. Centuries of gender discrimination and segregation of sexes has created distinct roles and codes of behavior for both the sexes and many are still practiced today. Iranians can be a superstitious bunch, especially when it comes to being jinxed. I knew that I would win if I only relied on myself. Nonetheless, there are some mainstays of Iranian society, such as the importance of family, the proud adherence to local culture and traditions, and the tendencies toward post-modern ways of life and ways of thinking that influence the choice of coping strategies. The two additional themes spiritual coping and existential coping will be presented in another article. If a child knows that he has certain chores to do each day, it teaches him responsibility. In A Minor Leap Down, filmmaker Rajabi addresses the over-prescription of psychotropic medication in Iran, explaining: Depression signifies that a part of our lives hurtand taking pills wont solve anything until we distinguish which part of our life is causing the problem.. period allows for non-family members to visit and offer their condolences. Some citizens are challenging the government through acts of civil resistance (knowingly breaking the law) because the restrictions are much more authoritarian and paternalistic than what many Iranians desire and believe is true to Islam. Couples tend to only have one to two children. It has had a Muslim majority population for centuries and so the culture is deeply characterised by its strong Islamic influence. Register to receive personalised research and resources by email. Cultural and religious beliefs and values may have an impact on preferences for treatment at end-of-life. The Five Key Religious Functions that constitute the basis of RCOPE were used to categorise these methods. Show abstract. This coping method means that people trust themselves as human beings more than they trust a sacred object God. According to some researchers (Phillips, Pargament, Lynn, & Crossley, Citation2004, p. 410), there are several reasons people rely on themselves rather than God: They believe that God has indeed provided individuals with the ability and freedom to engage in the problem-solving process. Family values are important to the structure and well-being of the family. In public, people behave in the way that will benefit them (i.e. keeping to the rules to avoid attracting the attention of government operatives). The individual derives a social network and assistance in times of need from the family. Being a collectivist society, people in Iran show very strong loyalty to their family. Significant class differences were exacerbated through periods of recent economic hardship and instability. The interests of the family can supersede the needs of a single individual. Coding continued until a high level of inter-rater agreement was reached. It is uncommon for people to overtly express themselves or publicly identify with unconventional subcultures or hobbies. This is based on the traditional idea that people should protect their personal and family honour by giving a public impression of dignity and integrity. After recruitment of the sample, interview times were chosen based on the participants preferences. Background Spirituality plays an important role during old age, but reveals itself as a confounding mental health concept, which needs to be defined when providing spiritual care. After that period, the family is left to . Therefore, it is very important to distinguish the political culture and values of the government from the culture and values of the Iranian people. Mental illness in a family member is viewed as a familial flaw. whether for cultural or other non-therapeutic reasons. Behaviour in Iran is also noticeably influenced by peoples perceptions of pride and dignity. Iranians regularly break the Islamic civil rules; however, this always carries a risk of arrest. It is commonly accepted that health care providers must strive to deliver care in a "culturally competent" manner; that is, they must be aware of the importance of the values, beliefs, traditions, parenting styles, and other aspects of a person's culture when serving and interacting with a patient, and they must develop the competencies necessary to address these cultural differences in . She tries to address the issue with her mother and husband, shes turned away, many families the. 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