The Relationship between Islamic Religious Coping and the Mental Health of Madrasah Aliyah Students in Coping with Academic Stress

Abstract

Academic stress has become a psychological phenomenon experienced by many students, especially at the high school level, as a consequence of increasing academic demands and continuous evaluative pressure. Islamic religious coping, as a form of integration between religious practice and psychological function, has the potential to be an internal resource in maintaining students' mental health. This study aims to analyze the relationship between Islamic religious coping and students' mental health in dealing with academic stress from the perspective of Islamic Counseling Guidance. The study used a quantitative approach with a correlational design. The research subjects were 52 students of Madrasah Aliyah Alhuda Pameungpeuk who were selected using purposive sampling. The research instruments were an Islamic religious coping scale compiled based on Pargament's concept of religious coping and integrated with Islamic values, as well as a mental health scale covering aspects of emotional regulation and psychological well-being. The data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation test and simple linear regression. The findings of this study show that Islamic religious coping is positively correlated with students' mental health levels in coping with academic stress. Islamic religious coping has also been proven to contribute significantly to students' mental health in coping with academic stress. These findings indicate that Islamic religious coping not only functions as a ritualistic religious practice, but also as a psychological-spiritual mechanism that supports students' emotional regulation and mental resilience.