Citation

Moksony F, Hegedűs R. Arch. Suicide Res. 2019; 23(1): 151-162.

Affiliation

Institute of Sociology and Social Policy, Corvinus University of Budapest , Budapest , Hungary.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, International Academy of Suicide Research, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13811118.2017.1406830

PMID

29293070

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We test two explanations of why Protestants generally are more prone to suicide than Catholics. One theory stresses the importance of social support, while the other emphasizes the role of culture.

METHODS: Case-control study with 182 suicidal and 610 non-suicidal individuals.

RESULTS: Denominational differences do not disappear after controlling for church attendance. Deeper involvement in the church community decreases suicide risk for Catholics, but increases it for Protestants. The relationship between education and suicide, while curvilinear for both religions, has a U-shaped form for Protestants, but an inverted U-shaped form for Catholics.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings corroborate the cultural explanation and demonstrate that the impact of integration on suicide can only be understood by taking cultural characteristics into account.

Language: en

Keywords

culture; mental health; religion; social integration; suicide