Ultra-Orthodox Pray at the Kotel
A groundbreaking study in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry reveals that religiosity, spirituality, and meaning-making are crucial factors influencing suicidality in individuals with psychiatric conditions or a history of self-harm. In other words, people with strong religious beliefs have more meaning in their lives and, as a result, are much less likely to be suicidal.
“Protective dimensions seemed to exert relatively stable effects across different religions and life views,” Bart van den Brink, MD, PhD, of the Department of Emergency Psychiatry at GGz Centraal, Amersfoort, The Netherlands, and his colleagues report. “For example, moral objections to suicide were protective against suicidality for both Buddhists and Christians.”
There are four aspects that explain this:
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Belonging: Religious and spiritual affiliations.
Behaving: Moral objections to suicide, religious salience, attendance at religious services, involvement in religious organizations, and prayer practices.
Believing and Meaning: A sense of meaning and purpose in life, and belief in a higher power.
Bonding: Spiritual and religious well-being, religious coping mechanisms, the concept of God, and personal religious and spiritual experiences.
The researchers identified 108 studies published in English that quantitatively analyzed relationships between R/S/M and suicidal behavior. The studies reported on 30,610 subjects with an average age of 30. Two studies included subjects from all over the world, whereas 40 were conducted in North America, 30 in Europe, and 29 in Asia. Three regions that are highly diverse, spiritually and religiously, were markedly underrepresented: Africa (0 studies), Australia/Oceania (1 study), and South America (6 studies, all from Brazil).
The team used 231 effect sizes from 75 of the 108 studies, representing 17,561 subjects, in a meta-analysis of the direct impact of R/S/M on suicidal behavior. Christianity was the most prevalent religious affiliation across the study samples (62%). Atheism/agnosticism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism were most prevalent in only 1.3% to 3.4% of samples.
“An attentive examination of R/S/M, including its dimensions and dynamics, is important for everyone providing help and support to psychiatric patients, especially mental health professionals and clergymen,” Dr. van den Brank’s group writes. “Exploration of R/S/M and identifying empowering resources within particular religious traditions and life views will decrease stigmatizing and support the development of effective suicide prevention efforts and interventions to support suicidal persons.”
