Discrimination and Religious Experiences of Adult Muslimahs in Salaat

Study Summary

This goal of this clinical trial is to examine the effects of the Muslim prayer (salaat) on physiological arousal among Muslim women. This study aims to measure EEG and HRV during the salaat performance among Muslim women. Using EEG as a measure of physiological relaxation, HRV will be utilized as a measure of stress experienced by Muslim women whose prayer have been understudied in research on the salaat. Thus, the main questions it aims to answer are 1) whether salaat performed by Muslim women influences physiological relaxation similar to what is seen by men, and 2) Evaluate health-related correlates of perceived discrimination among Muslim women. Participants will complete 15 questionnaires. Participants will be connected to a Heart Rate Variability (HRV) monitor as well as a 32-electrode EEG cap. After the baseline data are obtained, all participants will complete both conditions (salaat and counting) but the order of participation in conditions will be randomly assigned. The resting period will again occur between conditions and at the end of the second condition. All participants will pray the Duha prayer, an optional superogatory prayer that typically occurs in the early morning, to control for differences in timing and duration of prayer. The Duha is completed between the dawn and noon prayers and consists of four cycles of prayer as well as Qur'an recitation and supplication throughout the four positions. The salaat condition includes four cycles with four different positions during each cycle (standing with bowing at a 90-degree angle with both hands covering the knees, standing again briefly with arms at the sides, prostrating with forehead, hands, knees, and feet touching the ground, followed by sitting with knees bent under the torso, prostrating, and sitting again). The counting condition will include the same physical component as the salaat condition. This will include 4 cycles of movement through the four different positions (i.e., standing, bowi

Primary Outcome

Electroencephalography (EEG) is an indicator of relaxation. EEG, a measure of electrical brain activity in various regions of the brain (Luck, 2014), can be used to demonstrate changes in CNS activity attributable to relaxation (Jacobs \& Friedman, 2004). During performance of the salaat, HRV may be measured in frequency bands of low frequency (LF) ranging from about 0.04 - 0.15 Hz and high frequency (HF) ranging from about 0.15-0.40 Hz.

Interventions

• OTHER Sham comparator
• BEHAVIORAL Salaat