Examining the relationship between encouragement and health-related quality of life among Muslims |
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| Authors: | David R. Hodge PhD Tarek Zidan PhD Altaf Husain PhD |
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| Affiliation: | 1. School of Social Work, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona, USA;2. Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA;3. School of Social Work, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA;4. School of Social Work, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA |
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| Abstract: | This study examines the relationship between encouragement and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among a sample of American Muslims, in tandem with the potential mediating effects of depression and spirituality. To conduct this cross-sectional study, a model was developed and tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) with a community sample of Muslims (N = 284). The results indicate that encouragement has a direct, positive effect on HRQOL. Neither depression nor spirituality mediated the relationship between encouragement and HRQOL. Rather, both variables exhibited a direct, independent effect on HRQOL. In addition, spirituality exhibited an indirect effect on HRQOL through attenuating depression. The findings underscore the importance of encouragement as a pathway to enhance HRQOL among Muslims in post-9/11 America. The results also suggest that spirituality can play a significant role in fostering HRQOL among Muslims, both directly and indirectly by reducing the effects of depression on HRQOL. |
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| Keywords: | Depression encouragement health Muslims spirituality |
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