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Religious involvement, suicidal ideation and behavior in mainland China
Zhizhong Wang1, G Koenig Harold2, Wanrui Ma3
1Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, NingXia, China and Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina wzhzh_lion@126.com.
International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine
|March 31, 2015
Summary
Religious involvement showed no significant association with suicidal ideation, planning, or attempts in a Chinese general community sample. This contrasts with prior research, suggesting a different role for religion in suicide prevention in China.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
Background:
- Limited research exists on the relationship between religious involvement and suicidal behaviors in mainland China.
- Understanding this association is crucial for developing culturally relevant suicide prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between religious involvement and suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts.
- To control for socio-demographic, physical, and mental health factors in a general community population in China.
Main Methods:
- A population-based sample of 2,769 adults in Ningxia, China, was analyzed.
- Logistic regression models were used to assess correlations between religious involvement and suicidal behaviors.
- Analyses were stratified by religious affiliation, including Muslim and no religion groups.
Main Results:
- Bivariate analyses indicated a positive correlation between religiosity and suicidal plans, but this disappeared after controlling for demographics.
- No significant correlations were found between any religious characteristic and suicidal ideation, planning, or attempts in Muslims or those with no religion.
- Overall, religious involvement showed a limited role in suicidal behaviors in this population.
Conclusions:
- Contrary to most previous studies, religious involvement appears to play a less significant role in suicidal behaviors in this Chinese province.
- Findings suggest that the protective or risk factors associated with religion and suicide may differ in the Chinese cultural context.