Longitudinal relationships of religious worship attendance and spirituality with major depression, anxiety disorders, and suicidal ideation and attempts: findings from the Baltimore epidemiologic catchment area study.
Rasic, D.~~Robinson, J.~~et al.
We present findings on the longitudinal relationships of religious worship attendance and seeking spiritual comfort with subsequent major depression, anxiety disorders and suicidal ideation/attempts using data from Waves 3 and 4 of the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study (N = 1091). Respondents who attended religious services at least once per year had decreased odds of subsequent suicide attempts compared with those who did not attend religious services (AOR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.13Ð0.84). Seeking spiritual comfort at baseline was associated with decreased odds of suicidal ideation (AOR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.31Ð0.99). These finding were independent of the effects of the presence of the suicidal ideation/attempts, comorbid mental disorders, social supports and chronic physical conditions at baseline. These results suggest that religious attendance is possibly an independent protective factor against suicide attempts.