Abstract
Religious beliefs and practices have historically been intertwined with stigmatizing attitudes and responses to suicide, including stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. Understanding the relationship between religion and suicide stigma requires identifying specific religious beliefs and practices about suicide and how these are informed by broader worldviews, such as ethics, anthropology, and afterlife beliefs. Yet, research in this area has been complicated by the complex multidimensional nature of stigma and the diversity of religious beliefs and practices, even within religious traditions. Moreover, contrary arguments about the role of religious views of suicide in suicide prevention, specifically whether religious stigma is protective or instead contributes to risk, have obscured the interpretation of findings. This paper aims to advance research on this topic by first summarizing pertinent empirical findings and theoretical perspectives on public and personal stigma towards people with suicidal ideation (PWSI), people with suicidal behavior (PWSB), and suicide loss survivors (SLS). Secondly, a culturally nuanced action research framework (ARF) of religious stigma towards suicide is provided to guide future research. According to this ARF, research should advance strategically by investigating associations of religious beliefs and practices with stigmatization, identifying empowering resources within particular religious traditions, supporting suicide prevention efforts, and developing effective interventions to support PWSI, PWSB, and SLS. Moreover, such research efforts ought to equip religious leaders, and healthcare professionals working with religious individuals, to reduce stigma towards suicide and further the goal of suicide prevention.
Highlights
Religions and the Stigma of SuicideDurkheim (Durkheim 2005) inaugurated the field of suicidology by arguing religion provided social regulation with the potential to protect against suicide
Applying ecological systems theory (EST) in consideration of suicide allows researchers to account for how culture, religion, and the intersection of the two beget relationships and environments influencing the ways in which people conceptualize and understand issues of suicide, stigma, death, mental illness, help-seeking behavior, and a number of other factors associated with suicide
As noted at the onset of this article, this action research framework was primarily designed to aid researchers to develop strategies to reduce the religious stigma of suicide while simultaneously preventing suicide
Summary
Durkheim (Durkheim 2005) inaugurated the field of suicidology by arguing religion provided social regulation with the potential to protect against suicide. These research findings suggest that religious and moral views of suicide are protective against suicide, these beliefs have been noted to have negative effects on people affected by suicidality. Those who have attempted suicide have reported experiencing various types of stigma, including the perception of being “bad”, which may decrease help-seeking behaviors (Rimkeviciene et al 2015). We present a framework for engaging in research on the relationship between religion and the stigma of suicide This action research framework (ARF) was designed to help researchers strategically develop studies that will address the existing gaps in this literature. The paper provides an overview of concepts relevant for clergy and faith leaders, and mental health professionals working with religious individuals to consider if they are engaging in suicide prevention or stigma reduction efforts
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