relationship between commitment andpriority toprayer with depression and some demographic parameters

aim and background: prayer is one of the commandments of god and has an essential role in human’s mental relaxation. many text saboutreligion, spirituality and healing exist, and in many of them there lationship between prayer and mental health and the protective eeffec to fthese concepts have been noted. depression is more common among students. it decreases their academic success and achievements and keeps them from reaching their goals. therefore this study aimed to determine the relationship between prayer and depression and some demographical parameters. methods and materials: the present study was conducted by section during four months. 715 students from isfahan university of medical sciences were randomly chosen. data gathering tool included demographic information form, beck depression questionnaire and prayer checklist. data were then analyzed. findings: depression incidence among students was 44%. there was a statistically significant relationship between nobligation to prayer and depression (p = 0.001). also finding sreveal edthatthere was a statistically significant relationship between depression and respecting the priority of prayertime (p < 0.001). conclusions: praying and respecting the priority of prayer time significantly decreased depression among students. it is suggested in order to achieve primary prevention and decrease the prevalence of students'depression disorders, more comprehensive actions should be performed to promote prayer culture.