Qur’anic Antidotes to Prevalence of Depression Among University Students: The Case of University of Ilorin
*1Mutmainnah Temitope Shittu & 2Abdulwahab Danladi Shittu
*1Department of Health Promotion and Environmental Health Education, University of Ilorin, Nigeria Email: mutmainnahtope@gmail.com
2School Department of Religions, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria Email: Shittu.ad@unilorin.edu.ng
Abstract
Depression among students in the university has become a pressing mental health challenge majorly caused by academic stress, social pressures and existential concerns. This work studied Qur’anic coping mechanisms for mental well-being in institutions of higher learning with focus on depression among students at the University of Ilorin. The research identified the prevalence of depression among students in institutions of higher learning and emphasizes verses of the Qur’an and its understanding as alternative remedy to depression in the society. Deploying a descriptive and content analysis research methods with the use of in-depth interview and focus group discussion for data collection, the work reveals a high rate of cases of depression in the university, and that students who actively involved in adopting Qur’an guidance are likely to be less vulnerable to depression. Qur’an verses guarantee greater resilience, inner peace and optimism in confronting life challenges. The study concludes that imbibing teaching of the Qur’an in our life will go a long way in alleviating mental health challenges in the society and will thereby foster holistic well-being among students
Keywords
Depression, mental health, academic stress, social pressure, Islamic coping mechanism
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