Spirituality and Wellbeing in the Context of a Study on Suicide Prevention in North India

Abstract

The connection between spirituality and wellbeing, including its benefits for physical and mental health, has been recognized in the Eastern cultures for a very long time, although the sharp division between science and religion has caused, for the most part, its neglect in Western cultures until recently. Nevertheless, limited efforts have been made to explore the impact of spirituality and religion on wellbeing, including the prevention of suicide. We begin with an overview of the literature on religiousness, spirituality, and health and wellbeing. Further, we present a novel study focused on a sample of 160 Indian students from a spiritually oriented university in North India with the aim to understand how spirituality affects their lives and wellbeing and their views about suicide. Our results show that spirituality, generally, has a positive impact on participants' wellbeing with a potential protective effect against suicidal behavior, although more research on spiritual/religious beliefs as a source of difficulties is warranted.

Relationship between Spirituality and Acceptance of Illness Level in Bipolar Patients

“…General spirituality has protective effects and actions against pressure that increase positive habits such as having purpose and meaning in life, hopefulness, optimism, and good psychological status. 31 Kesmas: Jurnal Kesehatan Masyarakat Nasional (National Public Health Journal). 2020; 15 (3): 142-146 This study shows that the horizontal dimension has a higher significance than the vertical dimension in relation to acceptance of illness.…”

Introducing the Study of Life and Death Education to Support the Importance of Positive Psychology: An Integrated Model of Philosophical Beliefs, Religious Faith, and Spirituality

“…It is evident that there is consensus among researchers’ conceptualizations and established findings (e.g., Saksena, 1970 ; Jones, 2004 ; Koenig, 2012 ; Marzband et al, 2016 ; Wagani and Colucci, 2018 ; Villani et al, 2019 ), which showcase the positive impact of religious faith, spiritual cultivation, and personal enlightenment toward the optimization of one’s personal well-being. Bonab et al’s (2013) theoretical overview of Islamic spirituality, for example, is interesting as it highlights the relationship between personal religious commitment and mental health and coping ability ( Miller and Thoresen, 1999 ).…”

“…Testament of appreciation of spirituality, likewise, has also been found to make a profound impact on a person’s well-being. In a recent study in North India, interestingly, Wagani and Colucci (2018) explored an important “negative” aspect of positive psychology with reference to Hindu faith—in this case, the remedy and prevention of pathologies and maladaptive experiences. The authors found that spirituality (e.g., defined as “the improvement and knowledge of oneself.…”

“…The authors found that spirituality (e.g., defined as “the improvement and knowledge of oneself. Spirituality… defined as a way to know oneself, the inner self, or the soul”: Wagani and Colucci, 2018 , p. 5) positively impacted on a student’s well-being and, more importantly, served as a protective measure against suicidal tendency.…”

The Effect of Religious Commitment on Psychological Security: The Case of Female Students at Irbid University College

“…A variety of psychological well-being aspects have been shown to be associated with religiosity, including the meaning of life. Religious conversion has been shown to relate to enhancement in the meaning in life (Wagani & Colucci, 2018). Religious faith has a strong correlation with the experience of the meaning in life and well-being more broadly; Religion serves as a way that provide meaning for people"s lives through which they can comprehend their experiences and the reason of their existence, in other words, it contributes to people"s beliefs regarding themselves and the world around them (Steger et al, 2010).…”