Prayer-Related Guilt in Pregnant Muslim Women: A systematic Review of Psychological Distress Coping and Support Needs

Abstract

Islamic law clearly grants an exemption for fasting during Ramadan for pregnant women but does not provide a similar exemption for the daily prayers (salah). Because of this, we can expect there to be a unique guilt phenomenon to prayer maintenance during pregnancy. This study sought to identify and synthesize any and all existing research related to salah-specific guilt, psychological distress, coping, and support needs of pregnant Muslim women. We directly aligned a protocol using the SPIDER framework and the 2020 PRISMA Standards. The primary bibliographic databases were PubMed, OpenAlex, Crossref, and Semantic Scholar. Searches were supplemented by use of scoping searches. Two configurations of searches were applied- guilt-restricted and broader. Each configuration was run in separate searches. Screening was completed by a primary reviewer and a second pass was done to check the screens in a blinded fashion. Quality of included studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The tool was applied to full texts of two open-access studies and abstracts of the remaining studies. Of thirty-five records identified and twenty assessed at full text or full abstract, none demonstrated direct, salah-specific guilt evidence in pregnant Muslim women and thus failed to meet the inclusion criteria. Along with five other studies that examined perinatal religiousness and the fasting guilt literature who also practiced some level of perinatal religiousness, and religious scrupulosity, articles were arranged into a four-tier evidentiary model, while providing a contextual narrative synthesis. The review determined there is no direct evidence against the established eligibility criteria. The absence of evidence is reported as a key finding, not as a search limitation, and is supported by the triangulation of three bordering literatures that each encapsulate, and evidence, distinct parts of the theorized phenomenon without engaging with each other. Primary research to address guilt from engaging in salah during pregnancy for Muslims is recommended.