efficacy of spiritual-religious interventions in iranian adults with mental disorders: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Background: studies on the effectiveness of spiritual-religious interventions in mental disorders exist, but the results remain inconsistent or insufficient. moreover, many of these studies have not employed randomized controlled trial (rct) methodologies to assess the efficacy of such interventions. objectives: the present study aimed to review rcts evaluating the effectiveness of spiritualreligious care-based interventions on clinical and functional outcomes in iranian adults with mental disorders and negative psychological symptoms. materials & methods: a comprehensive search was conducted across iranian and international scientific databases until 2022. studies included in this review were required to meet the following criteria: (a) clinical trials, (b) controlled, and (c) randomized, investigating the effectiveness of spiritual-religious care-based interventions in adults aged 18 years and older with mental disorders or negative psychological symptoms. the retrieved studies were independently evaluated by two researchers, and their quality was assessed using the cochrane back review scale. results: no statistical analysis of outcomes was performed; instead, a narrative summary was chosen to describe the included studies. a total of 19 studies involving 1383 participants were identified, encompassing various interventions. most studies indicated that spiritual-religious care had a beneficial and significant impact on increasing the quality of life and spiritual well-being and decreasing the psychological distress of adults with mental disorders and negative psychological symptoms.