The Comparison of Time Perspective, Spiritual Well-being and Psychological Well-being in the Young Participating and not Participating in I'tikaf Rite

 Given the importance of upbringing faithful youths in our religious teachings, some institutions organized various activities to encourage them to develop positive attitudes to religious beliefs and practices. One of the most important activities in this regard is I'tikaaf, which has wide social and personal effects. This study attempted to compare the perspective of time, spiritual well-being and psychological well-being in the youth participating and not participating in the I’tikaf rite in Tabriz, Iran.

 The method used in the present study causal-comparative. The statistical population of this study included all participants aged 35-38 years in the I'tikaf ceremony in 2018 in Tabriz, out of whom 250 people were selected and 220 people filled in the questionnaires. 220 people were matched with the study group Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and MANOVA. In this study, all ethical considerations were observed and no conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

 The results showed that there was a significant difference in the components of purposeful life, self-acceptance and the total score of psychological well-being between the two groups (P<0.01). The mean related to religious wellbeing was significantly higher in the non-participating group (P<0.01). Finally, the mean related to the components of negative past, future and destiny in the participating group and the mean of the hedonistic component in the non-participating group was significantly higher (P<0.01).

 Based on the findings, participating in religious activities such as I'tikaaf is probably an opportunity for participants to improve, purify their souls and promote human virtues. By participating in this spiritual ceremony, people try to confront their negative past, rebuild their life goals, and achieve perfection. These results can help to present valuable strategies for promoting mental health of the society.