Explaining the phenomenology of psycho-social consequences of holding congregational prayer in students and staff of Ardabil Farhangian University

Over the past two decades, religious behaviors have been studied as influential components in promoting lifestyle and mental health, and various researchers have attempted to identify the behaviors that have the greatest impact on lifestyle and mental health components. One of these religious practices that has been considered in Islam is holding congregational prayer. The aim of the present study was to explain the phenomenology of the effects and consequences of congregational prayer and its impact on the lifestyle and mental health of students, staff, and faculty members of Farhangian University in Ardabil Province.

This applied and phenomenological study was to investigate the psycho-social effects and consequences of holding congregational prayer. To achieve theoretical saturation, 24 specialized and knowledgeable individuals were interviewed using a purposive, criterion-based sample. The data collection instruments were semi-structured interviews and scientific documents. To analyze the data, the method of thematic analysis was performed using open, axial and selective coding in MAXQDA2018 software. The validity of the research findings was ensured through the methods of member review, peer review, and participatory research. To measure the reliability of the codings, the methods of retesting and internal agreement were used, which reached 80% and 79%, respectively. Since these values were higher than 70%, the reliability of the system was confirmed.

The results showed that the number of initial concepts obtained from the interviews was 73 concepts, which were divided into three main themes including 1) the individual theme (with the subthemes of closeness to God, commitment to Islamic ethics and human excellence), 2) the social and family theme (with the subthemes of social cohesion, increasing spirituality and strengthening social affection), and 3) the psychological theme (with the subthemes of reducing psycho-physical tension, mental health, and moral virtue).

Based on the results, for the practical application of the effects of prayer in various aspects of life in society, it is necessary to have the serious will of the influential factors in this field.