Citation

Spencer-Thomas S. Religions (Basel) 2018; 9(4).

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publications Institute)

DOI

10.3390/rel9040123

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The integration of spiritual and emotional health is key for the development of a comprehensive public health approach to suicide prevention. Faith communities play a unique and powerful role in shaping this integration. This case study investigated one United States-based, predominantly White Unitarian Universalist faith community's efforts in the development of promising practices for "upstream, midstream, and downstream" approaches to suicide prevention. Through a series of in-depth interviews with stakeholders (leadership, volunteers, family members with lived experience), response patterns were used to identify key strategies to promote mental health and prevent suicide. These key strategies include developing healthy social connectedness across one's life, finding ways to make meaning by connecting with something larger than oneself, and cultivating a community that is compassionate and knowledgeable when assisting its members through emotional crises. © 2018 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide; Mental health; Resilience; Religion; Spirituality; Faith