Exploring COVID-19 patients’ experiences of psychological distress during the disease course: a qualitative study

Background The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging disease with many unknown clinical and therapeutic dimensions. Patients with COVID-19 experience a variety of psychological problems during the disease. Understanding patients’ mental condition and their distress during the disease is the first step to help these patients. So, the aim of this study was to explain COVID-19 patients’ experiences of psychological distress during the disease course. Methods The present qualitative research was conducted in Iran from April 2020 to April 2021 using the conventional content analysis method. The participants included patients with COVID-19, selected by the purposeful sampling method. Data was collected through 34 telephone and in-person interviews and analyzed based on the method proposed by Lundman and Graneheim. Results Qualitative data analysis led to the emergence of sources of psychological distress as the main theme as well as seven categories and seven sub-categories. The categories were the disease’s nature (the subcategories of disease’s unknown dimensions, and disease severity), the anxiety caused by preventive behaviors (the subcategories of quarantine, worry about transmitting the infection to others and obsessive thoughts related to disinfection measures), the inefficient management by the health system (the subcategories of poor health care condition and lack of spiritual care), death anxiety, stigma, anxiety after recovery, and sleep pattern disturbance. Conclusion Patients with COVID-19 experience great psychological distress during the acute phase of the disease or even long after recovery. It is suggested that psychological and spiritual counseling, as a key element of treatment and support for these patients, is provided to patients in the acute phase of the disease, as well as after recovery. National and local media should boost awareness about the disease as a dangerous yet preventable and curable infectious disease. People should follow health instructions and leave their seeing the disease as a taboo. Trial registration number Not applicable.

Eco Trends, Counseling and Applied Ecology in Community Using Sophia

The study investigates the current trends that manifest themselves in two areas that have common origins in antiquity, found in the Hellenistic concept of Sophia: present in philosophy, where it expresses the love of wisdom, but also in theology where it represents divine love. Looking at this approach, the Sophia has manifested various orientations, either toward the field of ecology and the environment through the emergence of new concepts, such as ecophilosophy and ecotheology, but also toward the practice applied to the person, through the philosophical counseling or spiritual or pastoral counseling. This paper analyzes the characteristics of the applied trends, ecophilosophy and ecotheology, through their comparative analysis, along with a bibliometric study on papers published on these topics in indexed databases in the last 45 years. The paper presents the openness to innovation, through the emergence of the two concepts analyzed which created methods and tools specific to philosophical or spiritual counseling, and adaptations of these practices to the needs of contemporary society. Therefore, the innovation is sustained by creating a new specialization in community counseling practice, called eco-counseling for community (EC4com), with the new ecological trend, which can be included in the philosophical and spiritual practices applied in communities through individual counseling, for groups or community.

Konsep Tasawuf Ibnu Atha’illah al-Sakandari dan Relevansinya dengan Konseling Psikosufistik

This study is the branch of the big topic concerning Islamic counseling that is exclusively studied through Sufism approach. The Sufism concept of Ibn Athaillah in Kitab Al-Hikam is described in order to be an approach of Islamic counseling as the result of the harmonious combination between psychology and Sufism to actualize human mental health. The scope of this study is focused on the main problem namely how Sufism concept of Ibn Athaillah can be used as counseling approach. The method used in this study is literature review type qualitative approach. The primary data are collected from Kitab Al-Hikam by Ibn Athaillah As-Sakandari. The secondary data are collected from various supporting literatures concerning Sufistic counseling. Data are collected using documentation method. Then, the data are reduced and analyzed. The result of this study indicates that Sufism concept is always focused on heart and soul management in order to draw closer to Allah. This can be made to be one of approaches in Islamic counseling. Sufism concept of Ibn Athaillah stresses more on riyadhah al-qulub namely emphasis in the aspect of heart condition in guiding someone that wants to go to the path of goodness. The conclusion is that in conducting spiritual counseling, Sufism approach is relevant to be the basis and spiritual counseling method. Riyadhah al-qulub or emphasis on heart aspect is psychosufistic counseling based on Sufism concept of Ibn Athaillah As-Sakandari.

Survivalitas Guru Bahasa Arab dalam Perspektif Status dan Peran Sosial di Masyarakat

This research was triggered by the problem of the status and role of the MAN 2 Kudus Arabic teachers in the community which is not always in line with the predicate of the guru agama which is inherent when teaching in madrasa. This study aims to describe the status and role of the MAN 2 Kudus Arabic teachers in the community, explore their arguments and subjective responses from various surrounding community clusters. This research is a case study with a qualitative descriptive approach. The results of this study stated: 1) All Arabic teachers in MAN 2 Kudus had social status and roles that penetrated several social fields, including medicine, organizational leadership, and spiritual counseling; 2) the relevance of the status and role of teachers in madrasas with within the community concerns three categories, indigenous Arabic teachers and migrants. Second, Arabic teachers graduated from Arabic Education (PBA) and non-PBA graduates. Third, senior and junior Arabic teachers; 3) The views of community institutions, religious leaders, madrassas, and ordinary people, related to the social status and role, First, Arabic teachers are not identical with guru agama. Second, Arabic teachers are identical to guru agama.

The effect of spiritual counseling on improving of the quality of life among pregnant women: a randomized control trials

Background: To examine the effect of spiritual counseling on the quality of life (QoL) of women with the first time pregnancy.Methods: This randomized control trial was carried out on 60 pregnant women who recruited at two childbirth preparation centers of Zanjan (Iran) in 2018. The eligible women were allocated into two intervention and control groups according to the 4-block design. The spiritual counseling was carried out in eight sessions, two times per week at 20 -32 weeks of gestation. The control group only received routine cares. The quality of life were measured before and two months after intervention.Results: Overall in pre intervention phase, the quality of life did not show a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p>0.05). In Post the intervention, the overall QoL showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p<0.05). But the physical functioning, body pain, and social functioning domains were not statistically significant (p>0.05). According to the linear regression, the risk of poor quality of life in the intervention group was 0.78 times less than of the control group (p= 0.0001).Conclusion: Spiritual counseling had a positive impact on improving of QoL in the first time pregnant women. The integration of spiritual counseling in the childbirth education package could be improved the psychological aspect of quality of life more than the physical aspect of quality of life. It can be considered used by healthcare providers for planning childbirth interventions.Trial registration: The study was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials under the number IRCT20150731023423N12 , 2018-11-06