title: Religiosity as a protective factor against suicidal behaviour.
abstract: Data suggest that adherence to religious beliefs is associated with lower rates of suicide. A number of mediating factors have been hypothesized to explain this association, including enhanced social support, less substance abuse, and lower rates of psychopathology.
  
  
  
  We utilized data from a two-phase population-based, epidemiological study of mental disorders among young Jewish Israel born in a 10-year birth-cohort conducted in the 1980s. This study included data on religiosity and suicidal behaviour. Twenty-five years thereafter, mortality data were obtained from a national vital statistics registry.
  
  
  
  Rates of suicidal ideation were similar among secular, partially observant, and religious subjects (9.4%, 6.7%, and 6.2%, respectively; adjusted OR for linear trend: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.58-1.09). Rates of suicide attempts were significantly lower among religious subjects (2.4%, 2.5%, and 0.4% for secular, partially observant, and religious, respectively; adjusted OR for linear trend: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.43-0.88). Of the 4914 subjects, eight died by suicide: Seven of them were secular and one was partially observant (χ(2) = 2.52, P = 0.09). There were no differences in social functioning or rates of psychopathology among the study groups.
  
  
  
  Religiosity has a protective effect against suicide attempts, which is independent of social functioning, psychopathology, and substance use.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Burshtein
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: B P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Dohrenwend
authors.affiliation: Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Levav
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Werbeloff
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weiser
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D065840:Protective Factors; D012067:Religion; D012307:Risk Factors; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: epidemiology; religion; suicide