Religiosity as a Protective Factor in Suicidal Behavior

Abstract

The impact of religiosity in suicidal behavior was evaluated in Brazil through a case-control study in which 110 subjects who had attempted suicide through the use of toxic substances were compared with 114 control subjects with no history of suicide attempts. Religiosity was measured in three aspects: organizational religious activities (ORAs), nonorganizational religious activities (NORAs), and intrinsic religiosity (IR). Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the impact of religiosity on suicide attempts, controlling for sociodemographic variables, impulsivity, and mental illness. Religiosity, in its three dimensions, was shown to be an important protective factor against suicide attempts, even after controlling for relevant risk factors associated with suicidal behavior: ORA: odds ratio (OR), 0.63 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.45-0.89); NORA: OR, 0.56 (95% CI, 0.42-0.75); and IR: OR, 0.59 (95% CI, 0.49-0.70). These data have important implications for understanding religiosity factors that might protect against suicide.

Is religiosity a protective factor against suicidal behavior in bipolar I outpatients?

“…Most of the studies that have been conducted to date show that greater religious involvement is positively associated with indicators of psychological well-being and better health (Dein et al, 2012;Koenig et al, 2001). In fact, level of religious involvement tends to be inversely related to depression, SB, drug misuse, impulsivity, and pathological gambling (Casey et al, 2011;Ronneberg et al, 2014;Caribé et al, 2012). With regard to SB, the studies entailed heterogeneous samples of patients presenting with several mental illnesses (Wu et al, 2015).…”

Does Religiosity Predict Suicidal Behavior?

“…Those reporting at least one lifetime suicide attempt scored lower on a measure of intrinsic religiosity (Lucchetti et al 2012) than those not reporting a suicide attempt, even after controls for gender, employment, presence of a partner, children, psychiatric comorbidity, rapid cycling, family history of attempted suicide and of completed suicide, and impulsivity. Caribé et al (2012) compared 110 suicide attempters presenting at a Brazilian hospital with control subjects chosen from family members accompanying the suicide attempter (which controlled for socio-economic variables). The suicide attempters reported significantly lower levels of intrinsic religiosity (and, in addition, organizational and non-organizational religious activities) than the control subjects.…”

Mental Health and Self-Esteem of Institutionalized Adolescents Affected by Armed Conflict

“…Overall positive effects of religiosity on mental health of an individual have been extensively studied. It has been seen as a protective factor against mental problems (Caribe et al 2012;Good and Willoughby 2014;Smith and Denton 2009). Apart from religious beliefs, self-esteem has been seen as a protective factor against mental health problems.…”