Religion and Suicide Acceptability: A Cross-National Analysis

Stack, Steven; Kposowa, Augustine J.

doi:10.1111/j.1468-5906.2011.01568.x

Cited by 163 publications

(142 citation statements)

References 66 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

125

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…A large multi-national study 19 showed that people who reported to be very religious were less in favor of suicide. Attitudes toward suicide have been negative among most faith traditions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-Ethnic Attitudes Toward Physician-Assisted Death in California and Hawaii

Periyakoil

Kraemer

Neri

2016

Journal of Palliative Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: As aid-in-dying laws are gaining more public acceptance and support, it is important to understand diverse perceptions toward physician-assisted death (PAD). We compare attitudes of residents from California and Hawaii to identify variables that may predict attitudes toward PAD. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of 1095 participants (a 75.8% survey completion rate) from California and 819 from Hawaii (a 78.4% survey completion rate). Data were collected between July through October 2015.Results: Majority of study participants in California (72.5%) and Hawaii (76.5%) were supportive of PAD. Only 36.8% of participants in Hawaii and 34.8% of participants in California reported completing advance directives. To better understand which subgroups were most in favor of PAD, data were analyzed using both recursive partitioning and stepwise logistic regression. Older participants were more supportive of PAD in both states. Also, all ethnic groups were equally supportive of PAD. Completion of advance directives was not a significant predictor of attitudes toward PAD. Persons who reported that faith/religion/spirituality was less important to them were more likely to support PAD in both states. Thus, the major influences on the attitudes to PAD were religious/spiritual views and age, not ethnicity and gender. Even in the subgroups least supportive of PAD, the majority supported PAD. Conclusions: This study shows that in the ethnically diverse states of California and Hawaii, faith/religion/ spirituality and age are major influencers of attitudes toward PAD and not ethnicity and gender. Even in the subgroups least supportive of PAD, the majority supports PAD.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-Ethnic Attitudes Toward Physician-Assisted Death in California and Hawaii

Periyakoil

Kraemer

Neri

2016

Journal of Palliative Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Thirdly, greater religious belief and commitment, and to a lesser extent, greater religious attendance, may be associated with lower suicide rates and less tolerance toward suicide in both Christianity and Judaism [25,[45][46][47]. To the best of our knowledge, this issue has not been investigated in Israel.…”

Section: Other Populations Of Interestmentioning

confidence: 73%

Suicide in Judaism with a Special Emphasis on Modern Israel

Witztum

Stein

2012

Religions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Judaism considers the duty of preserving life as a paramount injunction. Specific injunctions against suicide appear in the Bible, Talmud, and thereafter. Nevertheless, Jewish tradition emphasizes that one should let himself be killed rather than violate cardinal rules of Jewish law. Mitigating circumstances are found for the six deaths by suicide mentioned in the Bible, for example to account for one's sins, or avoid shameful death. Heroic suicide is praised throughout the Jewish history, from the suicide of Samson and the collective suicide in Masada, to the collective readiness of Jews in Medieval times and during the Holocaust to kill themselves rather than succumb to their enemies. Suicide rates for Jews are lower than those of Protestants and Catholics. Similarly, suicide rates in Israel are lower in comparison to Europe and North America, although being higher than those in most Moslem Asian and North African countries. This low rate of suicide is found in Jewish Israelis of all ages, including in adolescents. Elevated suicidal risk may be found in specific sub-populations, including male Israeli soldiers, immigrants from the former USSR and Ethiopia, in particular adolescent immigrants from the former USSR, elderly Holocaust survivors, and young Israel-Arab women. The meaning of these findings is discussed according to different socio-cultural perspectives. 726"Of all religions, Judaism counts the fewest suicides, yet in none other is education so general . . . But if the Jew manages to be both well instructed and very disinclined to suicide, it is because of the special origin of his desire for knowledge. It is a general law that religious minorities, in order to protect themselves better against the hate to which they are exposed, or merely through a sort of emulation, try to surpass in knowledge the population surrounding them . . . Primitive in certain respects, in others [the Jew] is an intellectual and man of culture. He thus combines the advantages of the severe discipline characteristic of small and ancient groups, with the benefits of the intense culture enjoyed by our great society. He has all the intelligence of modern man without sharing his despair" [1].

show abstract

“…Affiliation with Islam is associated with low suicide acceptability. 12 There is a significant protective relationship between religiosity and suicide. 13 Out of 542 cases, 394 (73%) were married and 148 (27%) were unmarried.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medicolegal Aspects of Suicides, a Retrospective Study of 542 Cases Brought for Autopsy to the Department of Forensic Medicine, Government Medical College, Kottayam in the Year 2015

Jinesh¹,

Rajeev²,

Ravikumar³

2017

jemds

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BACKGROUNDFatal Deliberate Self-Harm (DSH) or suicide is a self-chosen method to end one's own life. It may be due to a momentary behavioural aberration or the person may be harbouring the suicidal tendency for a prolonged period, which might have culminated in this catastrophical deliberate self-harm. Suicide is best viewed as a symptom rather than a disease. The underlying disease is usually a depression of one type or the other and as such is highly treatable by pharmacological and psychological means. 1

show abstract

Religion and Suicide Acceptability: A Cross-National Analysis

Cited by 163 publications

References 66 publications

Multi-Ethnic Attitudes Toward Physician-Assisted Death in California and Hawaii

Multi-Ethnic Attitudes Toward Physician-Assisted Death in California and Hawaii

Suicide in Judaism with a Special Emphasis on Modern Israel

Medicolegal Aspects of Suicides, a Retrospective Study of 542 Cases Brought for Autopsy to the Department of Forensic Medicine, Government Medical College, Kottayam in the Year 2015

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About