Religious coping strategies for relieving stress

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess the effect of reciting "OM" word on relieving perceived stress of 30 married adults (20 males and 10 females) aged between 25 to 35 years. On the basis of Perceived Stress scale (Cohen, 1988) high stressed subjects were screened and they were asked to recite OM word daily in the morning for 10 minutes with intention and devotion and after that they were asked to relax for 10 minutes in a garden under the supervision of a yoga teacher for 21 days. After the session was over subjects' perceived stress was assessed and the mean scores of first test and the subsequent test were compared through t-ratio statistical significance test. Results showed that after recital of OM sound with intention and devotion the level of perceived stress was reduced significantly.