Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy
Open Access

Religion promotes psychological wellbeing in many individual. Individuals with strong religious faith report grater life satisfaction. Grater personal happiness and fewer negative consequences of traumatic life events in comparison with those not involved informal religion [1-5].

Many individuals spontaneously reported that religion is helpful to them when they must cope with aversive events. The contribution of religion in society problem is obvious life in this world is challenging, even if those obstacles for life has got solution by different mechanisms [6-10]. Among the big phenomenon that has great role in societal life is religion [11-13] in a study of 836 adult people, found that people who were religious had higher moral and better attitude toward aging and were more satisfied and less lonely than those who were not affiliated with any religion. Therefore religion is one of important mechanisms in order to address the overall social problems that face in human life. When we talk about problems that face in human beings stress is going to be taken as one of greater challenges that affects human mind. According to Greek philosopher Hippocrates stress is one of the problem that faces on human being and makes human mind to be ill or stressed. However, According to Holly bible stress is resulted from a time when Adam and Eve eats what the God prohibited them to eat, beginning from this time stress comes on human being and consider as a great psychological problem in their life [1].

Most of the time human beings have more front side to be experienced with stress than we car to remember psychologist have now been studying stress and its impact on psychological states and on physical health for several decades. Researcher has helped to converse on an common definition. Stress can be clearly defined as a negative emotional experience accompanied by predictable, physiological, cognitive that are directed towards to accommodate to its effect. “The world is one of the big ocean, which is full of stress” in this big ocean stress rotates as a pendulum, when these pendulum stops? It is a big and the obvious question; actually it will stop while the stressful problem has got solutions. One study found that being able to anticipate stressful event and feeling that one had control over them initially heightened perceived stress, but also increase tlo adjust to the stressful events.

The rationality for the topic selection was in order to provide information about the contribution of religion on reducing academic stressful problems that faces commonly on fresh students. Students are new to all things in the campus because they face new way of life in university. As a result of these all thing in the campus because they face stress in University. As a result of these all things in the campus students face stress problem, due to the fact that students commonly observed when they goes to the church and mosques. Specifically at the time of exam, most students goes to the religious places in order to pray and to celebrate holidays. Despite of these the researcher is going to access whether religion has significant contribution on reducing academic stressful problem, because student are commonly observed in religious places. The researcher will try to find out issues in religious aspects in case students who goes in church and mosque does their stress problems is reduced?. Exploring these religious issues in the contribution of reducing stressful problems, further helps to investigate and interventions to minimize the incidence of stress problems.

Statement of the Problem

Stress is widely recognized as a major factor in a wide range of physical illness. Much of the physical damage associated with stress result from our body physiological response. These includes the release of the hormones and corticosteroids into the blood resulting increase in metabolism heart rate, blood pressure and muscle tension and decrease in the ability of our immune system to respond effectively to invasion . We all live in the environment which result in different kinds stressful situations, in this world there is no individuals who is free from stress expect of death. In university students most of the time face stress, specially fresh student are new to all in the campus life, they must cope with the problem of living in dormitory surrounded by different things may share room with other students who have different background with diverse personal habit academic life may prove to be more rigorous that they had expected whereas each students may have been a star in high school there is heavier competition at universities, consequently course load are a great obstacle for students. In addition the rules and regulation of the university can also be strict these results for students new, these all activities result to agent to students to face to face in stress situation.

As a result of these all stressful factors students use different way of alleviating mechanisms in order to avoid stressful life experiences, among the major activities going to religious place like church, mosque and other religious ceremonies, especially at the time of exam most students observes around church, for a purpose of praying, hearing religious and spiritual word. The religious service attendance was associated with a “strong, consistent”, prospective and often graded reduction in risk of stress, [11]. There is a strong association between religious involvement and abroad range of health behavior that results in reducing stress like problems. Even if stress is common in all human beings more specifically, most of the time fresh students are more fronts side for stress. Those students who goes in different religious places they believe that religion as a main tool for reducing the stressful problem. Assessing the contribution of religion on stress reduction can resulted in the following information about the way stress to be reduced. Therefore, this study was conducted in the aim of answering the following basic questions.

Research questions

1. Does religion has contribution in reducing academic stress among University students.

2. Which religious practices is Effective in reducing stress at University?

3. What are the coping methods used by University students to reduce academic stress.

Objective of the study

General objectives: The general objective of this study was to investigate the significance of religion in reducing academic stress of student’s.

Specific Objectives:

1. To identify the significance of religion in reducing academic stress to University students.

2. To investigate the effectiveness of religious issues like praying, hearing spiritual words in reducing stress.

3. To find out the other commonly used coping method used by University students to reduce academic stress.

Methodology of the Study

Design of the study

The design that was used in this research is descriptive. The researcher use because the time to conduct this research limited due to this the researcher selects the appropriate design.

Population and sampling size

The study population includes first year medicine students, especially those who were regular. The department has 104 graduate regular students. From all possible participant or population 50 students will select as a sample through simple random sampling techniques. This technique will use due to its easiness to follow and it ensures equal chance of being select for each individual the sample will relevant and investigate in detail to get the required information.

Data gathering instruments

The major instruments that used to gather data were questioner, interview and the questioners includes open ended and close ended, self-administrated questioners. The interview was held to some selected students to conduct the research.

Data collection procedure

The method of data collection was through precise questionnaire. For the sample population who are in the respective departments, all the first year medicine students invite to full the questionnaire. But other method of data collection system, such as interview use, especially for that student who has enough awareness about their own religion on which, how religion has contribution on stress reducing.

Data analysis techniques

After all classifying and processing the data which is needed for the whole activity data analysis were made to analyze the data by using different techniques. The analyzed data were organized in graphs, tables, percentages and charts which show the major facts from the collected data.

Result of the study

In this study 11(25.58%) go to religious places like church and mosque only for praying, 12(27.9%) go to church /mosque when they feel stress in order to alleviate their stressful situations, and 3(6.98%) of respondents go to religious place when they need emotional support and the rest 2(4.65%) of the respondent go to religious places for other purposes. From this we can understand that religion play great role in copying different stress full problems. For further information can be shown below in the bar graph (Table 1 and Figure 1).

Figure 1: Bar graph that shows number of students goes to religious places.

Table 1: Summary of responses to the question” when do you go Church/Mosque or religious places?

Form the above bar graph we can understand that 16(37.2%) respondents go sometimes to religious places and 17(39.53%) go to church /mosques always, but 3(6.97%) go frequently, the rest 7(16.27%) almost didn`t go to religious places (Table 2).

Table 2: Show the effectiveness of religion in reducing stress.

From the above table, 23(53.59%) responded that religion is definitely effective in reducing stress. 10(23.29%) of them respond that religion is partially effective. Even if majority responded religion is perfect in reducing stress, 7(16.28%) said religion is not effective.

Indication on the above study shows that religion is definitely effective in reducing stress. The effectiveness of religion on alleviating stress can be shown below in pie-chart (Figure 2 and Table 3).

Table 3: Summary of the response to the question” does religion contributes in reducing stress?, Shows the contribution of religion on reducing stress.

Figure 2: Pie chart shows the effectiveness of religion in alleviating stress.

As indicated in the above table 35(81.49%) of respondents responded that religion has significant contribution in reducing stress. However, 8(18.6%) respondents responded that religion doesn`t have contribution. Therefore, it can be concluded that religion contributes much in alleviating stressful problems. As the researcher interviewed some selected respondent`s majority of them responded that religion is vital for societal well-being and has a great contribution on reducing stress.

Discussion

The major, causes that lead university students to stress

University students most of the time face stress; especially fresh students are new to all campus life. They may have room with other students who have different background with diverse personal habit, academic life may prove to be more rigorous that they had expected whereas each students may have been in school there is heavier computation, course over load. New to rules and regulation of the university, thinking about exam, these all are the agents that lead university students to stress. There are major sources of stress that leads people to be stressed, are thinking over load. Unknown sources of great happiness, groundless thinking without faith, and passing a lot time without any thing, in efficient economy, being pessimistic, bad friends. In this study 20(46.5%) of the score indicates that thinking about exam lead university students to be more stressed, 18(41.9%) are stressed, when they think for religious dogma, the rest 5(11.62%) of students are stressed when they think for about what to eat and drink. From these result in this study we can understand that thinking for exam leads student to be stressed in university.

The Relationship between stress and religion

Stress and religion are the two un interrelated terms because one hinder the strength of the other. A recent research by pollard and batters indicate that results from a battery of questionnaires suggest that those who find meaning in religion generally cope better with stressors, or at least, perceive themselves to cope better. In this study, the majority of respondents, (81.49%) respond that religion can decrease the impact of stress, despite of the fact that, the religious service attendance was associated with a strong prospective and graded reduction in risk of stress, so that religion and stress are not related, because religions reduce the severity of stress.

The coping strategies used by student other than religion

According to one study done in India in 1999, various methods were used by 68.8% students to reduce stress, more than 29.6% engaged in physical activities and 52.2% listen music, 20% went on church or mosque . In this study 34.9% of the participants use other coping strategies other than religion which they use recreational alternatives, like watching football, watch films, exerting other physical exercises and the like.

The use of praying in Reducing Stress

Majority of the respondents goes to religious places for praying which accounts 83.72%. In religion praying has a great role. Most of the time people pray to God when they are in need of emotional support, in stressful situations, at the time of holiday. Because praying is the away which one communicates with his creature (God). Mostly people pray lonely and also some observed in religious places when they pray in group. In these study the Majority of students pray lonely which covers the total of 22(51.16%) and the remaining 18(41.86%) are praying in group. The orthodox and Muslim religious followers are observed when they pray in group. For example, in orthodox religion, group praying is used at the time of holidays. The study reveals that praying is effective in reducing stressful problems. Because the Majority of the respondents responded that 65% pray in order to reduces stress, and 13(30.23%) of hear spiritual preaches, about 3(6.97%) saw spiritual figures, and the rest 2(4.65%) are use spiritual holy water when they are in stressful condition. People who engage in religious coping behaviors, (e.g., praying, reading sacred writings, mediating, seeking support from religious leaders during stressful times tend to adjust better to crises, [5]. In this study 39(90.7%) of respondent seeks support from religions leaders at the time when they get stressed. As a result those people who get support from religious community can get greater psychological well-being.

The significance of Religion in reducing stress

Religion has very real health and mental health benefits [10]. In this study 35 (81.4%) of the respondents respond that religion has great contribution on reducing stress. Participation in arise may build up a common stress whose reduction through completion of and on the rite enhance solidarity of participation in religious activities is very important to reduce stress [9] From this study we can understand that 81.4% shows contribution of religion in reducing stress, but 18.6% of the respondents responded paradoxically the contribution of religion in reducing stress.

Can Religion Reduce Stress?

A recent study released by the university of California at Los angles ‘Higher Education Research institute shows that college students who take part in religious activity have better mental and emotional health than students who do not take part in these activities. In this study 93.02% of respondents, said that religion can reduce stress. The students who have been integrated spirituality in to their lives experienced significantly lower levels of psychological distress as compared with students who had little or no involvement in spiritual or religious activities. In this study the finding shows that the contribution of religion in which how it reduces stress. The result of this study clearly indicates the majority of the respondents which consists 93.02% of the respondents clarify the importance of religion in reducing stress. Even if it is difficult to over generalize, but in this study based on the results the researcher concluded that religion is very important for reducing stress.

Conclusions

The purpose of this study was to explore the significance or contribution of religion in reducing stress among Woldia University freshman humanities and social science faculty students. Based on the results and Major findings the researcher concludes the following points.

• Religion has great contribution in reducing stress, when student’s people interact in religious activities through praying and hearing spiritual words.

• Students most of the time stressed when they think about exam; during this conditions they are observed around church/mosque.

• Religion and stress has inverse relation the more the person religious the less to be stressed so that spiritual students have lower level of stress and psychological well-being as well as life satisfaction.

• University students use other coping strategies when they feel stress. Some of the coping mechanisms other than religion are watching football, watching films, and listening to music as well as reading fiction.

1. Jimma D (2019) Land Tenure and Challenges of Tenure Security: The Case of Dedo District, South Western Ethiopia. J Rural Develop 38: 1-8.

Google Scholar, Crossref

2. Moreira-Almeida A, Neto FL, Koenig HG (2006) Religiousness and mental health: A Review. Braz J Psychiatry 28: 242-250.

Indexed at, Google Scholar, Crossref

3. Kazdin AE (2000) The Encyclopedia of Psychology. Oxford university press, Volume 7, United States of America.

Google Scholar

4. Kendler K, Karkowski L, Prescott C (1999) Causal Relationship between stressful life events and the onset of major depression. Am J psychiatry 156: 837-841.

Indexed at, Google Scholar, Crossref

5. Kottak CP (2008) The exploration of human diversity. The University of Michigan McGraw-Hill, Inc. USA.

Google Scholar

6. Willett W (2003) Lessons From dietary studies in Adventists and questions for the future. Am J Clin Nutr 78: 539S-543S.

Indexed at, Google Scholar, Crossref

7. Russell PP (1829) The Encyclopedia of America, USA.
8. Shafranske EP (1996) Religion and Clinical Practice of Psychology. American psychological Association, Washington, USA.

Google Scholar, Crossref

9. Smart N (1997) The Religious Experience.5th Edition, Engle would Cliffs, NJ, Preatic Hill, USA.

Google Scholar

10. Taylor SE (2010) Health psychology. 10th edition, Stress and stress related illness, loss Angeles University of California, USA.

Google Scholar

11. Powell LH, Shahabi L, Thoresen CE (2003) Religion and Spirituality: Linkages to physical heath. Am psychol 58: 36-52.

Indexed at, Google Scholar, Crossref

12. Version KJ (1989) The Holy Bible Old and New Testament. United States of America.

Google Scholar

13. Zastrow CS (1997) Understanding human behavior and the social environment Forth edition. Nelson – Hallinc, USA.

Google Scholar