DAILY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES AS A DETERMINANT OF ENHANCED MENTAL WELL-BEING AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Abstract

It was an analytical cross-sectional study that examined the predictive role of daily spiritual experiences in relation to mental well-being among undergraduate university students. Concerning this aim it was hypothesized that higher levels of daily spiritual experiences, would positively predict mental well-being among undergraduate university students. Secondly, daily spiritual 
experiences and mental well-being would vary significantly based on demographic factors. Using the purposive sampling technique, the data was collected from 200 undergraduate Muslim students (81 male and 119 female) with the mean age of 20.56 years old (SD= 1.79) belong to two different sectarian affiliation (i.e. Sunni and Shia) and two different public sector universities of Karachi. The data was gathered via self-administered Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES) and the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). Findings revealed daily spiritual experiences as a significant predictor of mental well-being among undergraduate Muslim 
students (p= .000). Overall, the mean score for DSES and WEMWBS was 79.31+10.02 and 47.36+9.23, respectively. Additionally, on DSES significant differences was observed regarding the religious sectarian and institutional affiliation of participants (p<0.05). Participants scores on WEMWBS significantly differed regarding family structure (p<0.05). No significant difference was observed based on gender, academic year, birth order and marital status on DSES and WEMWBS. These findings underline the importance of integrating spiritual dimensions into mental health interventions, advocating for holistic, culturally sensitive psychological care practices.