title: Religiosity/spirituality: Relationships with non-suicidal self-harm behaviors and attempted suicide.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The relationships between religiosity/spirituality (RS) and self-harm behavior, including non-suicidal self-harm behavior (NS-SHB) and suicide attempts/completions, remain of keen interest. Whereas the majority of studies strongly suggest that RS protects against suicide attempts/completions, relationships between RS and NS-SHB have been rarely studied.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this study, we examined RS in relationship to both NS-SHB (six explicit behaviors) and past history of suicide attempts.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional sample of 306 consecutive primary care outpatients, we administered four self-report assessments for RS (extent participant considered self a religious person, extent participant considered self a spiritual person, extent religion is involved in understanding/dealing with stressful situations, Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale (FACIT-Sp-12)) as well as examined seven items on the Self-Harm Inventory: six items reflecting NS-SHB and one item reflecting a past suicide attempt.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While two RS items yielded no significant findings (extent participant considered self a spiritual person, extent religion is involved in understanding/dealing with stressful situations), the remaining two items were associated with a lowered risk of self-harm behavior, particularly the FACIT-Sp-12.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Some but not all aspects of RS are associated with lowered risk for self-harm. In this study, considering oneself a religious person and reporting a general sense of RS well-being offered the most protective effect to participants, particularly the latter.
authors: Departments of Psychiatry and Internal Medicine, Wright State University School of Medicine, Dayton, OH, USA Psychiatry Education, Kettering Medical Center, Kettering, OH, USA Sycamore Primary Care Center, Miamisburg, OH, USA Randy.sansone@khnetwork.org.
authors: Randy A
authors: RA
authors: Sansone
authors: Office of Faculty Affairs, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Greenville, SC, USA.
authors: Michael W
authors: MW
authors: Wiederman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012067:Religion; D012307:Risk Factors; D012652:Self Mutilation / Q000453:epidemiology*; D057566:Self Report; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D029181:Spirituality; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Religion; Self-Harm Inventory; self-harm; spirituality; suicide; suicide attempts