{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T19:34:23Z","timestamp":1786649663007,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":15,"publisher":"Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,1]],"date-time":"2025-12-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764547200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["lww.com","ovid.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>\n                    A\n                    <jats:sc>BSTRACT<\/jats:sc>\n                  <\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study explores the psychological and physiological dimensions of religious pilgrimage participation among attendees of Mahakumbh 2025, focusing on individuals seeking care at a psychiatry outpatient department.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methodology:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We examined the relationships between demographic factors (age, gender), frequency of pilgrimage participation, body mass index (BMI), cognitive functioning (as measured by MOCA), and depressive symptoms (HAM-D).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The findings reveal a significant inverse relationship between pilgrimage frequency and depression scores, suggesting that regular participation in spiritual practices may offer emotional resilience. Gender differences emerged, with female participants showing higher levels of depressive symptoms. Cognitive performance was primarily influenced by age, with older participants displaying lower MOCA scores, independent of pilgrimage frequency. Additional insights indicate that individuals reporting a higher sense of spiritual upliftment and daily spiritual engagement also exhibited lower levels of anxiety and depression. While some participants showed elevated physiological stress markers, such as high blood pressure and altered heart rate variability (HRV), these were counterbalanced by psychological benefits.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study contributes to a growing body of evidence that spiritual engagement during mass religious gatherings may foster mental well-being, despite the physical demands such events impose. These findings underscore the need for integrated health services at large-scale religious events and highlight the complex interplay of spirituality, personality, and demographic variables in shaping mental health outcomes.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.4103\/jfmpc.jfmpc_824_25","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,29]],"date-time":"2025-12-29T13:01:18Z","timestamp":1767013278000},"page":"5192-5199","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/lww.0000000000001000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Interplay of pilgrimage, cultural tourism, and psychological well-being: An institutional experience of running sub-center hospital in Mahakumbh 2025 Prayagraj"],"prefix":"10.4103","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Shruti","family":"Sinha","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Purushottam","family":"Kumar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Suyash","family":"Singh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abhay","family":"Singh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rajat S.","family":"Das","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"276","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"R1-20251230","first-page":"1163","article-title":"Are mass gathering events hot spot for spreading of infectious diseases? the Kumbh Mela experience","volume":"13","author":"Kanaujiya","year":"2022","journal-title":"Indian J Public Health Res Dev"},{"key":"R2-20251230","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"42","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijid.2016.01.010","article-title":"Public health perspectives from the biggest human mass gathering on earth: Kumbh Mela, India","volume":"47","author":"David","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int J Infect Dis"},{"key":"R3-20251230","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"278","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mjafi.2014.08.001","article-title":"Kumbh Mela 2013: Healthcare for the millions","volume":"71","author":"Cariappa","year":"2015","journal-title":"Med J Armed Forces India"},{"key":"R4-20251230","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.24972\/ijts.2021.40.2.75","article-title":"Exceptional human experiences among pilgrims on the camino de santiago: A study of self-reported experiences and transformative aftereffects","volume":"40","author":"Lavri\u010d","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Transpers Stud"},{"key":"R5-20251230","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3775","DOI":"10.1007\/s10943-021-01398-0","article-title":"The lourdes pilgrimage and the impact on pilgrim quality of life","volume":"60","author":"Klimiuk","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Relig Health"},{"key":"R6-20251230","first-page":"124","article-title":"A study of perceptions and experiences of pilgrims approaching spiritual masters in a religious mass gathering \u201csinhastha\u201d in Ujjain, MP, India to explore relationship of spirituality and health","volume":"10","author":"Deshpande","year":"2019","journal-title":"Natl J Community Med"},{"key":"R7-20251230","first-page":"2891","article-title":"The effects of pilgrimage on the meaning in life and life satisfaction as moderated by the tourist's faith maturity","volume":"14","author":"Baek","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Teach Educ Sustain"},{"key":"R8-20251230","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.1177\/1354067X221131354","article-title":"Walking for well-being. Exploring the phenomenology of modern pilgrimage","volume":"29","author":"S\u00f8rensen","year":"2023","journal-title":"Cult Psychol"},{"key":"R9-20251230","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"47","DOI":"10.21580\/mz.v1i2.9489","article-title":"Spiritual well-being in the experience of Indonesian pilgrims (systematic review and phenomenological approach)","volume":"1","author":"Himawanti","year":"2021","journal-title":"Munazzama"},{"key":"R10-20251230","first-page":"31","article-title":"Spiritual health through pilgrimage therapy: A qualitative study","volume":"4","author":"Moaven","year":"2017","journal-title":"Health Spiritual Med Ethics"},{"key":"R11-20251230","first-page":"607","article-title":"From pilgrimage to volunteer tourism: A spiritual journey in the contemporary world","volume":"35","author":"Polus","year":"2024","journal-title":"Anatolian J Psychiatry"},{"key":"R12-20251230","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"225","DOI":"10.1007\/s40475-021-00238-1","article-title":"An aspect of Kumbh Mela massive gathering and COVID-19","volume":"8","author":"Quadri","year":"2021","journal-title":"Curr Trop Med Rep"},{"key":"R13-20251230","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"taab160","DOI":"10.1093\/jtm\/taab160","article-title":"Conducting mass gathering events during the covid-19 pandemic: A case study of Kumbh Mela 2021 as a potential \u2018super spreader event\u2019","volume":"28","author":"Shukla","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Travel Med"},{"key":"R14-20251230","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e47291","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0047291","article-title":"Participation in mass gatherings can benefit well-being: longitudinal and control data from a North Indian Hindu pilgrimage event","volume":"7","author":"Tewari","year":"2012","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"R15-20251230","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105","DOI":"10.1007\/s10902-024-00820-0","article-title":"Assessing the impact of the way of Saint James on psychological distress and subjective well-being: The ultreya study","volume":"25","author":"Feliu-Soler","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Happiness Stud"}],"container-title":["Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.ovid.com\/10.4103\/jfmpc.jfmpc_824_25","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T18:56:36Z","timestamp":1786647396000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.ovid.com\/10.4103\/jfmpc.jfmpc_824_25"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,12]]},"references-count":15,"journal-issue":{"issue":"12","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4103\/jfmpc.jfmpc_824_25","relation":{},"ISSN":["2249-4863","2278-7135"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2249-4863","type":"print"},{"value":"2278-7135","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,12]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2025-05-13","name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2025-09-10","name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}]}}