Malik Muhammad Sohail

Social Factors Hindering Political Participation in Pakistan: A Review Article

Background of Study: In Pakistan, political process has been distracted due to many reasons especially lack of political participation. Political participation is citizens’ right but many social factors hinder political participation. This is the reason common people of Pakistan feel secluded from political process. Objective: To conduct a systematic review to identify and explore factors which hinder political participation in Pakistan. Methods: This was a descriptive systematic review of literature pertaining to social factors that hinder the political will to participate the political process. Fifty research articles were reviewed to identify the significant factors hampering political participation in Pakistan. Conclusion: Factors like lack of interest, youth participation, voting behaviour, lack of trust, corruption, oligarchy, inherited politics, caste system and illiteracy were found to be significant as barriers in the way of political participation. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p1933

Belief in God’s Help During Hepatitis C: A Qualitative Study on Muslim Patients in Pakistan

Religious/spiritual beliefs play an important role in nursing of patients during chronic condition. Religion comprises an institutionalized set of transcendent ideas, while spirituality is personal and subjective dimension of religious experience in search of sacred (Hill and Pargament in Psychol Relig Spiritual S(1):3–17, 2008 ). The prevailing literature describes the influential impact of religiosity/spirituality on coping with chronic disease, but specifically patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) have not been studied in Pakistani context. This study examined the patients’ belief in religious/spiritual coping, role of religious/spiritual beliefs and prayer as coping strategy. Furthermore, it explored the importance of religious/spiritual beliefs in diverting attention from pain and other needs of CLD patient. A total of 20 patients with chronic liver disease were selected through an appropriate screening process. Subsequently, in-depth detailed interviews were conducted to gather experiences of the hepatitis patients. Religious/spiritual beliefs put forth multiple positive effects that help in coping with chronic hepatitis C. It has been found that patients of hepatitis C use prayer as a coping strategy. Religious/spiritual beliefs have been found as source of diverting attention from pain for the patients suffering from chronic hepatitis C.