Protective Factors in Muslim Women’s Mental Health in the San Francisco Bay Area

Abstract

Little is known about how religion and spirituality (R/S) operate as protective factors for Muslim women’s mental health. In this study, 20 Muslim women, including community members and mental health clinicians, participated in focus groups and individual interviews, respectively, to explore how R/S improve Muslim women’s social support, self- esteem, and emotional well- being in the San Francisco Bay Area. Utilizing qualitative methods, the present study provides con-sistent results that being Muslim has a direct positive effect on self- esteem, emotional health, life satisfaction, meaning, and purpose. Women who participated had a more mixed view of the social support that R/S give them, including mixed feelings about the local community and social pressures. Knowledge of protective factors for mental health among Muslim women may contribute to improving treatment strategies and decreasing culturally based stigma.