Quote:

 

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Few studies have investigated the association between religion and suicide either in terms of Durkheim’s social integration hypothesis or the hypothesis of the regulative benefits of religion. The relationship between religion and suicide attempts has received even less attention. METHOD: Depressed inpatients (N=371) who reported belonging to one specific religion or described themselves as having no religious affiliation were compared in terms of their demographic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: Religiously unaffiliated subjects had significantly more lifetime suicide attempts and more first-degree relatives who committed suicide than subjects who endorsed a religious affiliation. Unaffiliated subjects were younger, less often married, less often had children, and had less contact with family members. Furthermore, subjects with no religious affiliation perceived fewer reasons for living, particularly fewer moral objections to suicide. In terms of clinical characteristics, religiously unaffiliated subjects had more lifetime impulsivity, aggression, and past substance use disorder. No differences in the level of subjective and objective depression, hopelessness, or stressful life events were found. CONCLUSIONS: Religious affiliation is associated with less suicidal behavior in depressed inpatients. After other factors were controlled, it was found that greater moral objections to suicide and lower aggression level in religiously affiliated subjects may function as protective factors against suicide attempts. Further study about the influence of religious affiliation on aggressive behavior and how moral objections can reduce the probability of acting on suicidal thoughts may offer new therapeutic strategies in suicide prevention.

Quote:

 

Suicide rates are lower in religious countries than in secular ones r16112bhcfhiib, r16112bhcgfcfd. Some of this difference may be due to underreporting in religious countries because of concerns over stigma r16112bhcecede. Yet, some of the difference may be real, although it is not known whether the negative association between religion and suicide is due to its integrative benefits (such as social cohesion, as proposed by Durkheim in 1951 r16112bhcfbhdg) or to the moral imperatives of religious belief, given its prohibitions against suicidal behavior r16112bhcfhiib, r16112bhcihffdr16112bhcegbdi. Most previous studies have been epidemiologic and have investigated the association between completed suicide and religion. An inverse relationship between religious commitment and suicidal ideation has also been reported r16112bhcihffd, r16112bhcfhidir16112bhchdfgg. However, reports regarding religious affiliation and suicide attempt are sparse. Morphew r16112bhcigiaf compared 50 suicide attempters hospitalized after self-poisoning with respect to their religious beliefs and practices. He found no significant differences in terms of Catholic versus Protestant affiliation. Similarly, Malone et al. r16112bhcegajj reported that religious persuasion, defined as Catholic and non-Catholic, did not differ between suicide attempters and nonattempters. Kok r16112bhchfagb compared suicide attempt rates in Chinese, Malay, and Indian women in Singapore and concluded that the comparatively low rate of attempted suicide in Malay women was due to their religion, since Islam strictly forbids suicide.

Studies of religious commitment in general suggest a protective effect as well. In a sample of institutionalized chronically ill elderly, Nelson r16112bhcfigbg showed that intensity of religious commitment was negatively associated with suicide gestures. In a cross-national study of 25 countries, Stack r16112bhcfhiib concluded that protective effects were not due to any specific religious denomination per se but rather to a strong religious commitment to basic life-preserving values, beliefs, and practices that reduce rates of suicide.

Therefore, we examined factors associated with religious affiliation and nonaffiliation in depressed inpatients, generally considered to be at highest risk for a suicide attempt. We hypothesized that the religious subjects would report more moral objections to suicide as measured with the Reasons for Living Inventory r16112bhcjeccc. This instrument includes questions that reflect traditional religious beliefs: "I believe only God has the right to end a life," "My religious beliefs forbid it," "I am afraid of going to Hell," and "I consider it morally wrong." We examined the relationship between religious affiliation and social cohesion by examining the amount of time spent with relatives in religiously affiliated versus unaffiliated patients. To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the relationship between religious affiliation status and suicide attempts in a clinical sample.

Quote:

 

Results


Two hundred ninety-five (79.5%) of the subjects had a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, and 76 (20.5%) had bipolar disorder, currently depressed. There were 189 subjects (50.9%) with a lifetime history of a suicide attempt. One hundred seventy-five (47.2%) had a history of substance use disorder. The mean clinical ratings were 20.1 (SD=6.2) on the Hamilton depression scale, 28.1 (SD=11.4) on the Beck Depression Inventory, and 36.3 (SD=8.1) on the BPRS. Among the subjects who reported a religious affiliation (N=305), the specific denominations endorsed were Catholicism (41.0%, N=125), Protestantism (28.5%, N=87), Judaism (17.4%, N=53), and other (13.1%, N=40).

Effect of Religious Affiliation in Subjects With Depression

Subjects with no religious affiliation were more often lifetime suicide attempters, reported more suicidal ideation, and were more likely to have first-degree relatives who had committed suicide than religiously affiliated subjects.

The religiously affiliated and unaffiliated subjects did not differ in terms of gender, race, education, or income. Religiously unaffiliated subjects were younger, less often married, and less often had children. Religiously affiliated subjects reported a more family-oriented social network, reflected in more time spent with first-degree relatives. In contrast, most unaffiliated subjects (74.3%) reported more nonfamilial relationships (friends and others) (t1).

There were no differences between groups in the level of subjective depression (Beck Depression Inventory), objective depression (Hamilton depression scale), hopelessness (Beck Hopelessness Scale), life events (St. Paul-Ramsey Scale), or global functioning (GAS) (t2). Lower general psychopathology scores (BPRS) were found in the patients with no religious affiliation. Significantly higher lifetime scores for aggression (Brown-Goodwin Aggression Inventory) and impulsivity (Barratt Impulsivity Scale) but not hostility (Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory) were found in the religiously unaffiliated group. Furthermore, a history of substance use disorder was more common in the subjects with no religious affiliation (t2). Subjects with no religious affiliation also reported fewer perceived reasons for living (Reasons for Living Inventory). In particular, scores on three Reasons for Living Inventory subscales: responsibility to family (t=3.1, df=262, p=0.002), child-related concerns (t=2.6, df=253, p=0.008), and moral objections to suicide (t=4.7, df=97.6, p<0.001) were higher in the religiously affiliated group. The scores on other Reasons for Living Inventory subscales did not significantly differ between the two groups: survival and coping beliefs (t=1.83, df=261, p<0.07), fear of suicide (t=0.83, df=261, p<0.41), and fear of social disapproval (t=0.24, df=97, p<0.81).
Relationship Between Religious Affiliation and Suicide Attempts

A backward stepwise logistic regression showed that age (odds ratio=0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.95 to 0.99; Wald χ2=7.84, p=0.005), but not marital status, parental status, or time spent with family, was significantly associated with suicide attempt status. With regard to clinical variables, only lifetime aggression (odds ratio=1.09, 95% CI=1.03 to 1.14; Wald χ2=9.83, p=0.002) and responsibility to family (odds ratio=0.93, 95% CI=0.91 to 0.97; Wald χ2=17.99, p<0.001) were significantly associated with suicide attempt status, whereas history of past substance use, lifetime impulsivity, general acute psychopathology as rated by the BPRS, and child-related concerns were not.

On the basis of these two data reduction regressions, a final model was tested with suicide attempt status as the outcome variable and age, aggression, responsibility to family, religious affiliation, and moral objections to suicide as the independent variables. Backward stepwise logistic regressions showed that low moral objections to suicide, high lifetime aggression levels, and less feeling of responsibility to family were significantly associated with suicide attempt, whereas religious affiliation per se and age were not (t3). Although the odds ratio for aggression and moral objections to suicide were low (1.09 and 0.90 respectively), the score ranges for these variables indicate a meaningful effect on risk for suicide attempt.

Of note, there was no significant correlation between moral objections to suicide and aggression level (r=–0.08, df=249, p<0.18). Also, when entered in a logistic backward conditional regression model with suicide attempt as a dependent variable, both variables remained significant and independent (moral objections to suicide: odds ratio=0.89, 95% CI=0.85 to 0.93 [[test statistic]=[value], p<0.001]; aggression: odds ratio=1.1, 95% CI=1.06 to 1.1 [[test statistic]=[value], p<0.001]).

Moral objections to suicide mediated the association between religious affiliation and suicide attempt as all three stipulated conditions were met r16112bhcjabga. First, religious affiliation was significantly associated with moral objections to suicide. Second, moral objections to suicide was significantly associated with suicide attempt when religious affiliation was statistically controlled. Third, the significant bivariate association between religious affiliation and suicide attempt did not remain significant when moral objections to suicide were controlled statistically (f1).

Relationship Between Religious Affiliation and Suicidal Ideation

Linear stepwise regressions with suicidal ideation as the dependent variable showed that of the demographic variables, age was significant (β=–0.182, t=–2.9, p=0.003), whereas marital status, parental status, and social network were not. Of the clinical variables, linear stepwise regression analysis showed that aggression (β=0.218, t=3.6, p<0.001) and responsibility to family (β=–0.23, t=–3.7, p<0.001) were significant, whereas history of past substance abuse, BPRS score, impulsivity, and child-related concerns were not significant. The final model with suicidal ideation as the outcome variable and age, aggression, responsibility to family, religious affiliation, and moral objections to suicide as the independent variables revealed that high aggression scores, low moral objections to suicide, and younger age were significantly and independently associated with suicidal ideation. Religious affiliation and responsibility to family were not (t4).

rockstar135

Apr 3 2012, 05:49 AM

There's a correlation between intelligence and likelihood to commit suicide.

Toiletman

Apr 3 2012, 05:12 PM

It was CG who began with it after finding no anti-cannabis news anymore. He seems on an old fashioned catholic crusade.

hejt

Apr 3 2012, 05:18 PM

Nothing surprising, atheists tend to be more nihilistic in general.

rockstar135

Apr 3 2012, 05:49 AM

There's a correlation between intelligence and likelihood to commit suicide.