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The Effect of Hajj Trip on Mental Health: A Longitudinal Study

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Abstract

Hajj is a spiritual journey and religious ritual which is performed every year. Here, we evaluate the psychological effect of the Hajj. Using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) questionnaire with 28 questions, the mental health of the pilgrims was assessed before and after the journey. A total of 154 people were questioned, 72 pilgrims (47%) were male. The mean GHQ score of participants before the journey was 50.1 and after the journey was 49.5 (P = 0.248). The results of analysis of variance and generalized estimating equation indicated that the GHQ scores had no significant difference before and after the journey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Health Related Social and Behavioral Sciences Research, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran

    Mansooreh Fateh

  2. Clinical Research Development Unit, Imam Hossein Hospital, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran

    Seyed Abbas Mousavi

  3. School of Medicine, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran

    Mohammad Bagher Sohrabi

  4. School of Medicine, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran

    Mohsen Arabi

  5. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran

    Mohammad Hassan Emamian

Authors
  1. Mansooreh Fateh
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  2. Seyed Abbas Mousavi
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  3. Mohammad Bagher Sohrabi
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  4. Mohsen Arabi
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  5. Mohammad Hassan Emamian
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Correspondence to Mohammad Hassan Emamian.

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Fateh, M., Mousavi, S.A., Sohrabi, M.B. et al. The Effect of Hajj Trip on Mental Health: A Longitudinal Study. J Relig Health 59, 1319–1326 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00825-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00825-7

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