The association of religiosity with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in the United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to analyze the association of religiosity with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in a UK nationally representative sample.

METHODS: This study used cross-sectional data from 7403 people who participated in the 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS). Religion was assessed with the question 'Do you have a specific religion?' with 'yes' and 'no' answer options. Lifetime and past 12-month suicidal ideation and suicide attempts were assessed. The association between religiosity and suicidality was studied in multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic, behavioural, and psychopathological factors.

RESULTS: Compared to those without a religion, the prevalence of past 12-month suicidal ideation (3.2% vs. 5.4%), past 12-month suicide attempts (0.4% vs. 0.9%), lifetime suicidal ideation (11.2% vs. 16.4%), and lifetime suicide attempts (3.6% vs. 6.0%) was lower among those with a religion. In the fully adjusted model, having a religion was significantly associated with lower odds for all types of suicidality except past 12-month suicide attempts: suicidal ideation (past 12-month: OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.51-0.99; lifetime: OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.69-0.99) and suicide attempts (past 12-month: OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.35-1.45; lifetime: OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.53-0.90).

CONCLUSION: There is a negative association between religiosity and suicidality in the UK. Future studies should focus on the underlying mechanisms.