Nursing

Religious identity

Thematic analysis

Linguistics

Negotiation

Philosophy

Islam

Public health

Religious values

Public relations

Government (linguistics)

Archaeology

Repentance

Religious organization

Qualitative research

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Faith

Psychology

Political science

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Sociology

Medicine

Theology

Pandemic

Disease

Pathology

Social science

History

Journal of Religion and Health

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ghana government instituted a ban on social gatherings, including religious gatherings. To understand how the unanticipated restrictions and interruption in normal church routines affected the well-being of congregants in Ghana, we interviewed 14 religious leaders. Thematic analysis revealed psychospiritual impacts including decline in spiritual life, loss of fellowship and community, financial difficulties, challenges with childcare, as well as fear of infection. Religious leaders intervened by delivering sermons on hope, faith, and repentance. Some religious leaders sensitized their members on health hygiene and COVID-19-related stigma. The study sheds light on the perceived impacts of COVID-19 and restrictions of religious gatherings on congregants in Ghana.

The Impact of COVID-19 and Religious Restrictions on the Well-Being of Ghanaian Christians: The Perspectives of Religious Leaders