@article{ref1,
title="The associations between God representations and suicidality among Christian patients with a major depressive disorder",
journal="Tijdschrift voor Psychiatrie",
year="2018",
author="van Vliet, N. K. and Schaap-Jonker, H. and Jongkind, M. and van der Velde, N. and van den Brink, A. and Braam, A. W.",
volume="60",
number="8",
pages="511-520",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Depression strongly increases the risk of suicide. Religion is described as a protective factor against suicide. Considering the emotional blunting associated with depression, it is important to investigate the affective dimension of religion. This dimension is conveyed in God representations.<br/> AIM: To describe what types of God representation occur among Christian patients with major depressive disorder and to determine whether there is a relationship between types of God representation and suicide.<br/> METHOD: Clinical and outpatients with a major depressive disorder (n=155) completed the Questionnaire God Representations and the Paykel Suicide Items. A k-means cluster analysis is applied to examine which types of God representations occur among depressed patients. Whether there is a relationship between the different God representations and suicide is examined by applying a linear regression analysis.<br/> RESULTS: Depressed patients uphold two types of God representation: a positive type (n=82) with positive feelings towards God and where God was experienced as supportive, and a negative type (n=73) with anger and anxiety towards God and where God was experienced as passive. Patients with a negative type of God representation scored significantly higher on suicidality. The severity of depression was the main predictor of suicidality, but God representations were also related with a 4% increase in the explained variance.<br/> CONCLUSION: In Christian patients with major depressive disorder a negative and a positive God representation emerged. Patients with a negative God representation mainly seem to feel abandoned by God. The suicidality is significantly increased in patients with a negative God representation, however, the increase in the proportion of the explained variance is small.<p /> <p>Language: nl</p>",
language="nl",
issn="0303-7339",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}