Shyamal Chakraborty
Doctor
Title: : EFFECT OF ROUTINE SPIRITUALITY PRACTICE ON MENTAL HEALTH OF OLDER POPULATION
Biography
Biography: Shyamal Chakraborty
Abstract
Introduction: Spiritual Practice has long been in vogue in different parts of the world. This study is an attempt to determine its impact on mental well being. Aims: To assess the effectiveness of Spirituality Practice on Mental Health of a Geriatric Population. Participant Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age 65 yrs. - 75 yrs. 2. Gender - 30 Male & 30 Female. 3. Existence of an Informed Consent of each participant of the study. Intervention: Trained Spirituality practitioner was introduced who advocated daily Spirituality practices in the form of Yoga, Meditation and regular Prayers. Periodic Assessment was done at 0, 6 & 12 weeks from the date of commencement of the study. Result: The baseline WEMWBS score improved considerably after third assessment in about 70% of the participants which is quite significant because none of the participant had been regular follower of spirituality practices in their lives before present study. Statistically there was overall marginal increase in WEMWBS score among the female participants, male candidates over and above the increase in score although the significance of which is beyond the purview of the present study. Discussion: It is an well established fact that spiritual practice helps in mental well being. The present study reinforces this belief. Routine and regular spiritual practices, even if pursued at a later age in life, can have a demonstrable positive effect on mental well being. So it could be concluded with reasonable certainty that in a society stiffened with stress, spirituality should be a regular practice.