Relationship between suicide and religious service attendance

A new study published in the May 6, 2020 edition of JAMA looks at the relationship between suicide and other "deaths of despair" and attendance at religious services among health professionals.

Briefly, this study sought to answer the question "Is frequent religious service attendance associated with a lower risk of deaths related to drugs, alcohol, and suicide (referred to as deaths from despair) among US health care professionals?"

The researchers looked at a group of  66,492 female registered nurses and 43,141 male health care professionals in the US. Data from these groups was examined covering a 15+ year time period. Among the female group there were 75 deaths of despair, and among the male group there were 306.

When the relationship between deaths of despair and religious service attendance was examined,  attendance at religious services at least once per week was associated with a 68% lower hazard of death from despair among women and a 33% lower hazard among men compared with those who never attend. The researchers state that these findings suggest that frequent attendance at religious services is associated with lower subsequent risk of death from despair.

To read the full article click here.