November 11, 2024 — All aspects of religiosity, spirituality, and meaning-making (R/S/M) relate to suicidality in people with a psychiatric diagnosis or a recent suicide attempt , according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in Harvard Review of Psychiatry , part of the Lippincott portfolio from Wolters Kluwer .
"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."
Large global meta-analysis examined multiple dimensions of R/S/M
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).
R/S/M variables were categorized into four dimensions:
R/S/M had a small but significant overall protective effect against suicidality
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.
For specific R/S/M variables with nine or more effect sizes, a post hoc crude pooled effect size was calculated. From those post hoc analyses, key conclusions were:
"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."
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Harvard Review of Psychiatry
Religiosity, Spirituality, Meaning-Making, and Suicidality in Psychiatric Patients and Suicide Attempters: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
11-Nov-2024