The Social Context of Religious Integration and Suicide: Pursuing the Network Explanation

Following up on the importance of how historical context has shifted the integrative power of denominational networks, this article pursues the potential utility of a network perspective by suggesting that a significant contextual element, i.e. geography, has been neglected. Analyses indicate that for many major religious groups the effects of religious affiliation on suicide vary across geographical areas, e.g. Judaism’s protective effect is large in the Northeast USA but small in the South.