The Effect of Holy Qur’an Recitation on Anxiety in Hemodialysis Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Kidney disease and its related psychological costs have significantly increased in recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of Qur’an recitation on anxiety in hemodialysis patients. Sixty hemodialysis patients were randomized to either Qur’an recitation or a control group. Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was completed by patients at baseline and 1 month afterward. The intervention involved listening to the recitation of the Qur’an in traditional cantillation voice. The control group received no intervention. The data were analyzed using Student’s t test and general linear models. Recitation of the Qur’an was effective in reducing anxiety in the intervention group, decreasing STAI score at baseline from 128.5 (SD = 13.0) to 82.1 (SD = 11.3), compared to the control group which experienced no change in anxiety scores from baseline to follow-up (118.3, SD = 14.5, vs. 120.1, SD = 14.4, respectively. Between-subject comparison at follow-up, after adjusting for baseline differences, indicated a significant reduction in anxiety in the intervention versus the control group (F = 15.5, p = 0.0002, Cohen’s d = 1.03). Listening to the Holy Qur’an being recited is an effective intervention for anxiety in patients undergoing hemodialysis in Iran.