Effectiveness of Islamic Counseling Protocol (ICP) on Depression, Anxiety and Stress among University Students at IUB

Abstract

This study was carried out to estimate the effectiveness of newly developed Islamic Counseling Protocol (ICP) in managing the level of stress, anxiety and depression of university students at IUB. For this purpose, a pilot-testing was conducted on a sample of (N=24) volunteer university students who scored higher on DASS-42 scale. The participants were further divided into two groups (n=12) experimental group and (n=12) control group. After the screening process (pre-testing), the Islamic Counseling Protocol (ICP) was administered as a treatment/intervention on a sample of (n=12) participants of experimental group. The control group did not receive any treatment or intervention. After completing the 8-weeks sessions of Islamic Counseling, the post-test analysis was conducted. The follow-up session was conducted for 3 months. The results from pre-test, post-test and follow-up analysis revealed a significant healing effect of using Islamic Counseling Protocol (ICP) on the mental health of university students. The statistical analysis (Paired sample t-test and Mean differences) showed a significant reduced level of mental health problems in the participants of experimental group (post-test analysis). Similarly, the follow-up assessment also showed reduced mental health problems for 3 months. Hence, the Islamic Counseling Protocol (ICP) proved as a significant tool to manage the mental health issues of the university students.