Spirituality, Religion and Suicidality
Objective: This project aimed to explore the complex and diverse relationship between spirituality/religion and suicidality among veterans. It seeks to understand how veterans' spiritual and religious beliefs, practices, and experiences influence their suicidal ideation and attempts.
Background: Veterans have been identified as being at increased risk for suicide compared to their civilian counterparts. While spirituality and religion are recognized as important aspects of well-being, their role in understanding suicidality is understudied. This qualitative study examines both the spiritual/religious risk and protective factors present in a sample of veterans recognized as being at high risk of suicide.
Methodology: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 veterans who either endorsed chronic suicidal ideation or had made suicide attempts. The interviews explored the bi-directional relationship between spirituality/religion and suicide ideation and behaviors. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interviews.
Significance:
Highlighting the Role of Spirituality/Religion: The study underscores the complex role of spirituality and/or religion in the lives of veterans grappling with suicidal ideation. It reveals how these elements can serve dual roles by both deterring and facilitating thoughts of suicide.
Coping Mechanism: It emphasizes the potential of spirituality/religion to aid in coping with suicidal ideation, offering avenues for veterans to find solace and resilience amidst their struggles.
Facilitating Meaning-Making: The research points to the capacity of spirituality/religion to assist veterans in making sense of their suffering and finding meaning in their experiences, which is crucial for psychological well-being.
Informing Treatment Strategies: Findings from the study could lead to the development of more nuanced treatment approaches that evaluate the role of spirituality/religion in mental health and leverage its protective aspects to enhance therapeutic outcomes.
Impact on Chaplain Services: The dissemination of the study's findings at the Oregon Chaplains Association and its adoption as mandatory reading for the national VA chaplaincy highlights its practical implications. It underscores the study's contribution to enhancing the competency of chaplains through the National VA Mental Health Integration for Chaplain Services (MHICS) program, aimed at improving mental health care for Veterans and Service members.
Conclusion: The findings underscore the clinical importance of discussing and exploring an individual’s spiritual and/or religious beliefs when assessing suicide risk. Spirituality/religiosity plays adaptive and maladaptive roles for patients in terms of evaluating suicide as a possible action, understanding and coping with suffering, as well as recovery from a suicide attempt. This study supports the development and evaluation of interventions that help veterans integrate functional aspects of their spirituality/religion into suicide safety plans and mental health recovery.
