Inter-religious marriages, where partners come from different religious affiliations, pose unique challenges and opportunities. This scoping review aims to examine the literature on individual and relational outcomes of inter-religious couples and their families, synthesising existing evidence on their social, psychological, and cultural aspects. While numerous studies exist on this topic, their findings have not yet been systematically synthesised. The question for this scoping review was how existing studies explore the individual and relational outcomes of interfaith marriages. A comparative search, following Arksey and O'Malley's five-step framework and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, was conducted across Scopus, ScienceDirect, APA PsycNet, JSTOR, PubMed, Google Scholar, and ProQuest databases from 2004 to 2024. After screening 1,276 references based on inclusion criteria, 19 peer-reviewed articles were selected for the scoping review. Four key themes emerged: (1) Marital adjustment and tensions, (2) Psychological impacts, (3) Marital instability and dissolution, and (4) Strengths and opportunities. This scoping review emphasises the intricate challenges encountered by inter-religious couples, encompassing familial opposition, identity dilemmas, cultural and religious disputes, marital instability, and psychological distress. The review highlights the need for increased societal and institutional support and calls for further research into adaptive coping strategies across diverse cultural contexts.

This exploratory phenomenological study explores the emotional and spiritual experiences of Muslim mothers in Turkey during breastfeeding, particularly when their infants are hospitalized. Guided by Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 mothers in the pediatric ward of a university hospital in the Aegean region. Five main themes emerged from the data: emotional, physical, and social changes during breastfeeding; maternal motivation; religious and spiritual practices; perceptions of motherhood; and the influence of sociocultural beliefs. The findings reveal that breastfeeding is not only a biological necessity but also a deeply emotional and spiritual experience. Mothers described breastfeeding as a sacred responsibility and a profound source of inner peace, shaped by religious rituals such as prayer, Quran recitation, and vows. Cultural and familial expectations also significantly influenced their breastfeeding behaviors. These experiences align with Watson's principles of holistic, compassionate, and spiritually sensitive care. The study highlights the importance of integrating emotional and spiritual support into postpartum care. Healthcare professionals-particularly nurses and midwives-are encouraged to acknowledge and support the spiritual and emotional needs of breastfeeding mothers to enhance maternal well-being and promote successful breastfeeding.

This study aimed to adapt the Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale into Turkish and evaluate its psychometric properties, with the goal of providing a concise and culturally appropriate tool to assess compassion in healthcare and research contexts. This methodological study was conducted on 325 individuals aged 18 and over in Turkey between April and May 2025. Data were collected online using a demographic form and the Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale. Content validity was evaluated by expert review. Construct validity was tested with confirmatory factor analysis, and reliability was assessed through Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's Omega, and test-retest analysis. Content validity indices indicated excellent agreement (I-CVI = 0.90-1.00; S-CVI = 0.99). Factor analysis indicated that the item loadings varied from 0.55 to 0.89. The fit indices were as follows: χ = 5.67, SD = 3 (p < 0.05), χ/SD = 1.89, RMSEA = 0.052, CFI = 0.99, SRMR = 0.017, TLI = 0.99, RMR = 0.039 and AIC = 29.67. Overall scale Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.805, and the Omega reliability coefficient was 0.801. As a result of the item analysis, it was determined that the item-total correlation coefficients for the items in the test varied between 0.494 and 0.697. The brief version maintained adequate validity while preserving the original item composition. The Turkish version of the Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale demonstrated strong validity and reliability. This brief and culturally adapted tool can be applied to the general adult population and offers nursing and healthcare professionals, as well as researchers in social and behavioral sciences, a practical means to evaluate compassion. Its use may support evidence-based practice, guide interventions to foster compassionate care, and contribute to future research aimed at improving well-being and patient outcomes.

Spiritual care is a vital aspect of holistic oncology care, particularly for individuals facing life-threatening illnesses like hematological cancer. Despite its significance, spiritual care needs are often overlooked in clinical settings. This study aimed to explore the spiritual care needs of adults with hematological cancer and to examine their relationships with psychosocial distress, quality of life, functional status, and sociodemographic and clinical factors. A descriptive, correlational study was conducted with 156 hematological cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy at a tertiary hospital in Türkiye. Data were collected using the Patient Information Form, Spiritual Care Needs Inventory, Distress Thermometer, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General. Analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. The study found that spiritual care needs were higher among female patients, married individuals, those diagnosed within the past year, and those with poorer functional status. Lower social/family and emotional well-being were also associated with increased spiritual care needs. Distress levels, however, were not significantly related to these needs. The findings underscore the need for a holistic approach to spiritual care that addresses religious beliefs and psychosocial needs. Integrating social, emotional, and psychological support can enhance overall well-being during cancer treatment. Spiritual assessments should be routinely integrated into oncology care, particularly for women, married individuals, newly diagnosed patients, and those with poor functional status. Since emotional and social well-being are key indicators of spiritual needs, care strategies should include psychosocial support alongside traditional spiritual or religious care.

In this response to the editorial by J. J. Amon in Health and Human Rights (Amon, 2025), we reply to Dr. Amon's claims alleging methodological problems and "politicalization" associated with our peer-reviewed work, which was published in the Journal of Religion and Health (Schwartz et al., 2025) and in the Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal (Roth & Wald, 2025). Here, we offer our response, in which we provide additional details related to our informatics and statistical methodologies to refute claims raised in Amon's editorial, that our analyses were conducted in a non-standardized manner. We also explain the distinctions between the critique of Israeli governmental policies and anti-Zionism, which is a form of antisemitism, as clearly defined by the consensus-driven International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (2016). Finally, we once again highlight the presence of the anti-Zionist form of antisemitism within medical communities and associated discourse.

As the prevalence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) rises worldwide, it poses a serious threat to public health. Renal replacement therapy (RRT) or hemodialysis (HD) is essential for the survival of these patients. HD is the treatment of choice for most patients. However, a perceptual evaluation of the religious beliefs that motivate patients to follow this course of treatment remains largely unexplored. This exploratory qualitatively study examined the religious aspects that Muslim ESRD patients in Pakistan undergoing hemodialysis found meaningful as they struggled to adhere to their treatment plans. Thematic analysis was conducted on a dataset comprising a purposively recruited sample of 5 male and 5 female ESRD patients. Two subthemes emerged under the overarching theme of religious influence on adherence: self-proclaimed religious convictions and religious coping. Religious coping was associated with better management and emerged as a positive influence on treatment adherence. Conversely, self-proclaimed religious convictions were linked to poor management and acted as a hindrance to treatment adherence. Healthcare providers, particularly nephrologists and health psychologists, should encourage patients with ESRD to embrace treatment adherence by considering their self-proclaimed religious convictions and integrating them into a religious coping mechanism. This approach aims to improve overall treatment adherence.

Older African Americans experienced disproportionately high rates of morbidity and mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, scientists and researchers made little effort to understand the factors contributing to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among these individuals. Research finds that older African Americans are generally highly religious and often use religion to inform their health decisions. Using the Religious Coping Theory, the purpose of this study was to analyze the interview data of 22 older African Americans to examine religious justification as a contributor to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. A semi-structured interview protocol was used to collect data from vaccine hesitant older African Americans in the USA. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and inductive coding. Salient themes included: (1) I Have not Been Led, (2) God's Medicine, and (3) The Pandemic is Divine Punishment. Findings suggest that religious beliefs can influence the health decisions of older African Americans, despite COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. Some forms of vaccine hesitancy may be overcome through partnerships with religious leaders and accurate information on the COVID-19 vaccine.

Due to the shortage of human organs, this study explores the Jewish perspectives on the permissibility of using pig organs in transplantation. Despite the religious prohibition of consuming pork, Jewish law allows their use for life-saving medical procedures. Our study surveyed 916 Jewish participants, examining their knowledge of religious rulings and their attitudes toward six medical applications of pig-organ transplants. We found that the degree of religious knowledge significantly influences the respondents' attitudes. Herein, we provide recommendations for enhancing the cultural competence of medical practitioners and improving the informed consent process for Jewish patients for whom xenotransplantation is recommended.

The aim of the research is to evaluate the possible effectiveness of interactive participation between Muslim and Christian participants. The study employed an experimental design including 120 participants, randomly assigned into two groups: an intervention (experimental) group (n = 60) and a control group (n = 60). The findings indicate a significant increase in tolerance levels among the experimental group, with an average rise of 25 points on a 100-point scale, whereas the control group exhibited minimal change. The between-group difference following the intervention was statistically significant (t = 12.87, p < 0.001). Participants who engaged in interfaith dialogue reported increased empathy, recognition of shared ethical values, and a decline in exclusivist attitudes. These results highlight the potential of structured interfaith engagement as an effective tool for fostering religious tolerance in multicultural societies.

Factors affecting spirituality and the risk of inadequate spiritual care should be investigated and included in psychiatric nursing interventions. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of compassion capacity in the relationship between resilience and spirituality and spiritual care in nurses. This study was conducted in a methodological phase, followed by a predictive correlational phase. Data were collected from 310 nurses at a city hospital in Ankara, December 2024-January 2025, using the Sociodemographic Information Form, Capacity for Compassion Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale Short Form, and Spirituality and Spiritual Care Scale. Analyses were conducted using Pearson correlation, Model-4 mediation analysis, and structural equation modeling. Reporting followed the STROBE guidelines. The findings of this study demonstrate that the Compassion Capacity Scale is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring compassion capacity in nurses (Cronbach's alpha = 0.855). Mediation analysis showed that resilience had a significant indirect effect on spirituality and spiritual care through the capacity for compassion (indirect effect = 0.256, 95% CI 0.192-0.371, p < 0.01). Compassion capacity fully mediates the relationship between psychological resilience and spirituality and spiritual care. In addition, the variance explained was calculated as 95% and the Sobel test results (Z = 5.273, p < 0.001). These results highlight that enhancing nurses' resilience and compassion capacity may contribute to strengthening their spirituality and improving the provision of spiritual care. Incorporating interventions that foster compassion and resilience into nursing practice and education could therefore play a key role in supporting holistic and person-centered care.

This composition advances a model of integrative religious pluralism as a means of fostering interreligious understanding, wherein distinct traditions retain their particularities while aligning along certain shared metaphysical, ethical, and spiritual axes. The framework holds that three core elements are either implicitly or explicitly shared across the world's religious and spiritual traditions: first, the idea of transcendental unity, in which diverse paths ultimately point toward a common, ineffable ultimate; second, the golden rule of morality, a universal moral principle that calls on us to treat others as we wish to be treated-or at the very least, not to treat others in ways we would not accept ourselves; and third, the overcoming of ego-whether understood as moksha, nirvana, or salvation-as both a soteriological goal and a practical guide for living peacefully with others. Taken together with established scholarships, we aim to argue that these shared insights offer a strong foundation for interreligious dialog and a more harmonious coexistence.

The present study was conducted to identify the types and underlying causes of human stampede incidents resulting in fatalities and injuries during religious mass gatherings. The PRISMA guidelines were followed to conduct this systematic review. The protocol for this review has been registered in PROSPERO under the code CRD42024529095. Relevant studies were extracted from reliable data sources, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, Google Scholar, ISC, SID, and MagIran. Finally, thematic analysis was used to analyze the obtained data. Among the 842 primary studies identified, 22 aligned with the research objectives following the removal of duplicates and screening procedures. The thematic content analysis delineated principal categories: human factors, physical factors, and environmental factors. These categories were further subdivided into eight subcategories: population characteristics, movement of pilgrims, individual attributes of pilgrims, natural factors, man-made factors, social factors, cultural factors, and political factors. Establishing a global database to document human stampedes and their causes can help identify contributing factors and prevent future incidents. Enhancing our understanding of these events, alongside incorporating religious teachings on self-preservation and assisting others, can reduce their likelihood. Educating pilgrims before their journeys may also be an effective strategy.

This study examines the role of Positive Religious Perfectionism (PRP) in enhancing psychological adjustment through its relationships with anxiety, resilience, and life satisfaction. Based on data collected from 595 participants, the structural relationships among these psychological constructs were investigated. Correlational analyses revealed that PRP was positively associated with psychological adjustment (r = .23, p < .05), resilience (r = .27, p < .05), and life satisfaction (r = .34, p < .05) and negatively associated with anxiety (r = - .17, p < .05). Anxiety showed a strong negative correlation with psychological adjustment (r = - .49, p < .05) and a moderate negative correlation with both resilience (r = - .45, p < .05) and life satisfaction (r = - .25, p < .05). Consistent with these findings, PRP was found to reduce anxiety, which in turn increased resilience and life satisfaction, and ultimately improved psychological adjustment (H3). Additionally, life satisfaction was a significant mediator in both the direct and indirect paths between PRP and psychological adjustment (H2). From an Islamic perspective, religious perfectionism, which is based on positive spiritual striving, reflects the concept of ihsan-the pursuit of perfection and intimacy in one's relationship with God. This inner striving promotes emotional balance and inner peace, fostering adaptive coping in the face of life's challenges. The findings suggest that individuals who perceive their religious perfectionism as a source of meaning and spiritual discipline, rather than a rigid or punitive experience, exhibit better emotional regulation, higher life satisfaction, and more significant psychological adjustment. These results contribute to a growing literature emphasising the constructive psychological functions of religious and spiritual orientations, particularly in culturally and religiously embedded contexts.

Organ donation is a medical and ethical issue shaped by faith, culture, and beliefs about death and the body. For nursing students, these beliefs intersect with their emerging professional identity, often generating tensions between personal convictions and professional duties. This study aimed to explore nursing students' perceptions of organ donation in Türkiye, focusing on the influence of faith, cultural values, and professional identity in shaping their decisions. We adopted a descriptive phenomenological design with focus-group interviews. Thirteen undergraduate nursing students from a foundation university participated in three online focus groups. Data were analyzed thematically using Braun and Clarke's six-step framework, guided by COREQ standards. Two overarching themes were identified: (1) Organ Donation in Light of Personal Experiences and Values, which included family influence, spiritual and cultural beliefs, death anxiety, bodily integrity, and issues of justice and trust; and (2) Organ Donation in Light of Professional Identity and Education, reflecting the role of clinical experiences, ethical principles, and the challenge of reconciling personal beliefs with professional responsibilities. While many students valued organ donation as an altruistic act, religious and cultural concerns contributed to hesitation, especially in decisions involving family members. Nursing students' perspectives on organ donation emerge at the intersection of faith, culture, and professional identity. Incorporating religious and cultural dimensions into nursing curricula, alongside ethics-based education and reflective practice, may strengthen students' ability to integrate personal beliefs with professional duties and promote organ donation more effectively.

Religious tourism, through its fulfillment of tourists' spiritual aspirations and emotional needs, has gradually become a notable form of tourism aimed at the alleviation of societal pressure and the pursuit of inner peace, and it has gained widespread popularity among travelers. On the basis of the theoretical framework of emotion appraisal theory and the incorporation of insights from embodied cognition theory, this study systematically explores the mechanisms through which tourists' religious tourism experiences (sense experience and relate experience) influence their destination loyalty. This research is focused on the mediating role of awe and the moderating effects of prior knowledge on this relationship. Guiyuan Temple in Wuhan is used as a case study, and a combination of field surveys and online questionnaires is used to collect data. The empirical findings reveal that both sense and relate experience in religious tourism significantly and positively influence awe and destination loyalty, and the effect of relate experience is particularly profound. Additionally, both sense experience and relate experience indirectly enhance destination loyalty through awe. Furthermore, prior knowledge-particularly religious background and value identification-plays a significant moderating role in the relationship between religious tourism experiences and destination loyalty. Tourists with extensive religious knowledge and strong value identification tend to have higher levels of loyalty. From a theoretical perspective, this study addresses the research gap in understanding the relationships among religious tourism experiences, emotional responses, and loyalty by proposing an integrated dual-dimensional model of sense experience and relate experience. The findings lay a solid foundation for future explorations into religious tourism experiences and provide valuable insights and directions for practical applications in the management and marketing of religious tourism destinations.

Social prescribing aims to provide holistic care to patients beyond that offered in consultations with clinical health professionals. Support may be directed at many aspects of health and well-being, including spiritual health. Spiritual health is known to be associated with many other physical, mental and rehabilitation health outcomes. How social prescribers define and understand 'spiritual health' is unknown. In this survey, we aim to explore what UK social prescribers understand by the term "spiritual health." We asked social prescribers: 'what does spiritual health mean to you?' Responses were analysed using descriptive statistics. Free text data were subject to deductive thematic analysis using a priori themes from the literature on definitions of spiritual health. One hundred and seventy-one social prescribing link workers participated; 153 gave a definition of spiritual health. Twice as many participants described themselves as spiritual than described themselves as religious. Definitions of spiritual health fell into three themes: 1. A sense of self, peace, meaning and purpose; 2. Connections to others, the world, or a deity; 3. Spiritual or religious practice. Spiritual health appears to be a term with meaning to UK social prescribers, distinct from religiosity. Use of this 'working definition' of spiritual health will allow further research into how spiritual health fits within social prescribing in the UK to move forwards.

We conducted a cross sectional study of 175 pregnant women (100 Mexican and 75 African American women) recruited from three prenatal clinics in Central and East Texas. This study explored the relationships between religiosity, telomere length, and preterm birth. Results indicated a significant association between telomere length and birth outcomes, with shorter telomeres observed in preterm births compared to full-term births. Mexican women attended religious activities more frequently, while African American women tended to rely on religious or spiritual beliefs to address daily challenges. Mediation analysis revealed that more frequent religious service attendance showed an association with lower preterm birth risk via telomere length on the risk-difference scale of 0.03 (95% CI 0.001 to 0.079; P = 0.04) when comparing women who never attend with those who attend every week or more. Higher self-reported religiosity showed an association with lower preterm birth risk independent of telomere length on the risk-difference scale of 0.17 (95% CI 0.036 to 0.309; P = 0.02) when comparing women who are not religious at all with those who are very religious. Future research is needed to investigate the complex interactions among these factors using longitudinal designs and larger sample sizes, to inform the development of effective strategies for preventing preterm birth.

This study presents the findings of research conducted among pilgrims and tourists walking the pilgrimage route to the sanctuary of St. James in Santiago de Compostela. The primary aim was to examine the ecological awareness of those travelling the Camino de Santiago, to identify pro-environmental behaviours undertaken by caminantes during their journey, and to determine the key factors influencing such practices. The empirical foundation of the study consists of survey data collected from 428 respondents representing 47 countries worldwide who had walked the Camino de Santiago. Our research contributes to the growing field of inquiry into the relationship between religion, ecology, and health by introducing the concept of eco-pilgrimage-religiously motivated journeys that integrate spiritual practices with pro-environmental behaviour and concern for both physical and mental well-being.

Scrupulosity, a pattern of religious and moral obsessions, impacts the religious experience and well-being of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Maladaptive perfectionism, a pattern of pathologically high personal standards and perceived personal failure, is associated with increased scrupulosity among LDS individuals. Self-compassion has been identified as a potential protective factor in the relation between maladaptive perfectionism and a range of psychopathology-relevant outcomes, including among religious populations. However, little is directly known about the role of self-compassion in the relation between maladaptive perfectionism and scrupulosity. The present study examines relationships among scrupulosity, perfectionism, and self-compassion among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). We examined indirect associations between maladaptive perfectionism and scrupulosity through self-compassion in a discovery sample (N = 378) and a replication sample (N = 542) of LDS university students in the USA. Consistent with hypotheses, self-compassion negatively correlated with both scrupulosity and maladaptive perfectionism in both samples. Findings showed a direct association between maladaptive perfectionism and scrupulosity and an indirect association via self-compassion in both samples. As hypothesized, self-compassion may temper the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and scrupulosity. These findings suggest that it may be beneficial to test self-compassion interventions in the treatment of scrupulosity in LDS individuals, including further research of tailored treatments for this population.

In the existing literature on living kidney donation, most studies address either individual altruistic donations to strangers or familial and friendship-based donations within established social ties. The phenomenon explored here diverges from both: married couples in which each spouse independently donates a kidney to an unknown recipient. This dual altruistic donation, carried out separately yet within the shared framework of marriage, illuminates the intersection of individual moral agency, relational dynamics, and religious faith. Using a qualitative methodology, in-depth interviews were conducted with nine Israeli Jewish religious-nationalist couples (eighteen participants) who each donated a kidney to a stranger. The findings reveal that the decision to donate was motivated by intertwined personal, relational, and faith-based factors. Individually, participants sought meaning, fulfillment, and alignment with moral and spiritual values; relationally, donation reflected partnership, mutual support, and shared ethical purpose; spiritually, it was grounded in Jewish concepts such as Tikkun Olam ("world repair") and Pikuach Nefesh (saving a life). A psychoanalytic interpretation drawing on Freud, Klein, and Kohut highlights donation as a process of sublimation, reparation, and self-expansion. The couples' narratives reveal how altruistic giving can function simultaneously as inner healing, relational repair, and social contribution. The study thus offers an integrated understanding of dual altruistic kidney donation as both a spiritual and relational act of repair, expanding the discourse on altruism, marital intimacy, and faith within contemporary Israeli society.

Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jewish women who enter the nursing profession face a unique set of challenges. While nursing aligns with core religious values, such as compassion, caregiving, and the preservation of life, it may also conflict with communal expectations concerning exposure to secular environments, gender interactions, and strict observance of the Sabbath and religious holidays. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of Haredi nurses in choosing and practicing nursing as a profession. A qualitative methodology was employed, utilizing semi-structured interviews with 21 Haredi nurses in Israel. Thematic analysis identified three central themes reflecting both personal and social dimensions of their experiences: (1) personal conviction and negotiation, (2) societal resistance, and (3) the pursuit of legitimacy. This study enhances the growing literature on integrating minority healthcare professionals by revealing how Haredi women develop and express their professional identities, navigate communal expectations, and act as cultural brokers in Israel's healthcare system.