A 22-year retrospective analysis of the changing frequency and patterns of religious symptoms among inpatients with psychotic illness in Egypt |
| |
Authors: | S F Atallah A R El-Dosoky E M Coker K M Nabil M F El-Islam |
| |
Institution: | (1) Behman Hospital, El-Marssad Street, Helwan, Cairo, Egypt 11421, Fax: +20-2-5552203, E-Mail: behman@link.net, EG;(2) Dept. of Sociology, Anthropology and Psychology, The American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt, EG;(3) Consultant Psychiatrist, Cairo University and Behman Hospital, Helwan, Cairo, Egypt, EG |
| |
Abstract: | Background: The aim of the present study was to assess the changes in frequency and pattern of religious symptomatology in a sample of
psychiatric inpatients in Egypt suffering from some form of psychotic illness over the time span from 1975 to 1996. Method: A sample of 5275 files of psychotic inpatients at Behman psychiatric hospital in Cairo, Egypt, admitted between 1975 and
1996, were scrutinized for the presence or absence of “religious” symptoms. All the files with religious symptoms from this
sample (n=632) and an additional 281 comparison files were analyzed. Results: Significant fluctuations in the frequency of religious symptoms over the period of the study were noted. The frequency of
religious symptoms peaked in the mid-1970s to early 1980s, and again in the early and mid-1990s, relative to other time periods.
Further analyses of changes in the frequency of specific religious themes or symptoms revealed that religious behaviors (i.
e., increased reading of religious texts, preaching, and other types of overt religious expression), in particular, showed
significant and consistent patterns of change. Conclusions: These findings were interpreted in light of the fluctuating emphasis on religion and religious affiliation in everyday life
in Egypt during the period of the study. While the overall frequency of religious delusional themes in Egypt is sensitive
to societal changes across time, the specific content of these delusions remains stable. On the other hand, the relative salience
of behavioral modes of pathological religious expression is highly influenced by changing patterns of religious emphasis in
Egyptian society.
Accepted: 30 April 2001 |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|