Leo Sher, M.D.

A research report, “The association of religiosity with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in the United Kingdom” has recently been published in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica online ahead of print (1).

The authors used cross‐sectional data from 7403 people who participated in the 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS). The association between religiosity and suicidality was studied in logistic regression models controlling for a number of sociodemographic, behavioral, and psychopathological factors: sex, age, ethnicity, income, marital status, employment, loneliness, social support, number of stressful life events, perceived stress, chronic physical conditions, smoking status, alcohol dependence, drug use, and common mental disorders.

Compared to those without a religion, the prevalence of past 12‐month suicidal ideation, past 12‐month suicide attempts, lifetime suicidal ideation, and lifetime suicide attempts was lower among those with a religion. There was a significant and negative relationship of religiosity with suicidal ideation (past 12‐month and lifetime) and suicide attempts (lifetime) after adjustment for sociodemographic, behavioral, and psychopathological factors.

The authors concluded that the prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts was lower in religious people than in non‐religious people in the United Kingdom. The authors also suggest that studying the mechanisms by which religiosity could reduce suicide risk may provide important information for the establishment of effective suicide prevention programs.

Reference

1. Jacob L, Haro JM, Koyanagi A. The association of religiosity with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in the United Kingdom. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2018 Oct 17. doi: 10.1111/acps.12972. [Epub ahead of print]