Social Support, Spiritual Well-being, and Quality of Life Among Muslim Converts in Indonesia

The present study seeks to examine the mediating role of spiritual well-being in the relationship between social support and quality of life (QoL) among Muslim converts, known as "mualaf," in Indonesia.

Drawing upon a sample of 119 mualaf (comprising 41 males and 78 females) from diverse regions across Indonesia, the study utilised validated instruments to measure social support, spiritual well-being, and QoL. The Sobel test was employed to evaluate the mediating effect of spiritual well-being.

The results unveiled three pivotal findings: (1) social support exerts both a direct and indirect influence on QoL, mediated by spiritual well-being; (2) a significant gender disparity is evident, with female mualaf manifesting higher levels of spiritual well-being than their male counterparts; and (3) mualaf who have recently embraced Islam (less than two years) exhibit higher spiritual well-being scores compared to those who have embraced Islam for a longer duration (more than two years).

The results underscore the role of spiritual well-being as a mediator of the relationship between social support and QoL, as well as the role of social support in promoting spiritual well-being among mualaf. The implications of these findings include the need to build social support for converts, particularly during critical periods for the development of their religious identity and psychospiritual stability.

In summary, this study offers robust evidence that spiritual well-being serves as a pivotal factor in the intricate relationship between social support and QoL among mualaf.