TY - JOUR
T1 - Spirituality and attempted suicide among American Indians
AU - Garroutte, Eva Marie
AU - Goldberg, Jack
AU - Beals, Janette
AU - Herrell, Richard
AU - Manson, Spero M.
AU - Crow, Cecelia Big
AU - Buchwald, Dedra
AU - Chambers, Buck
AU - Christensen, Michelle
AU - Dillard, Denise
AU - DuBray, Karen
AU - Espinoza, Paula
AU - Fleming, Candace
AU - Frederick, Ann Wilson
AU - Gone, Joe
AU - Gurley, Diana
AU - Jervis, Lori
AU - Jim, Shirlene
AU - Kaufman, Carol
AU - Keane, Ellen
AU - Klein, Suzell
AU - Lee, Denise
AU - McNulty, Monica
AU - Middlebrook, Denise
AU - Mitchell, Christina
AU - Moore, Laurie
AU - Nez, Tilda
AU - Norton, Ilena
AU - Novins, Douglas
AU - O'Nell, Theresa
AU - Ortonm, Heather
AU - Randall, Carlette
AU - Sam, Angela
AU - Shore, James
AU - Simpson, Sylvia
AU - Spicer, Paul
AU - Yazzie, Lorette
N1 - Funding Information:
The study was supported by National Institute of Mental Health grants R01 MH48174 (SM Manson and J Beals, PIs) and P01 MH42473 (SM Manson, PI).
PY - 2003/4
Y1 - 2003/4
N2 - American Indians exhibit suicide-related behaviors at rates much higher than the general population. This study examines the relation of spirituality to the lifetime prevalence of attempted suicide in a probability sample of American Indians. Data were derived from a cross-sectional sample of 1456 American Indian tribal members (age range 15-57yr) who were living on or near their Northern Plains reservations between 1997 and 1999. Data were collected by personal interviews. Commitment to Christianity was assessed using a measure of beliefs. Commitment to tribal cultural spirituality (or forms of spirituality deriving from traditions that predate European contact) was assessed using separate measures for beliefs and spiritual orientations. Results indicated that neither commitment to Christianity nor to cultural spirituality, as measured by beliefs, was significantly associated with suicide attempts (ptrend for Christianity=0.22 and ptrend for cultural spirituality=0.85). Conversely, commitment to cultural spirituality, as measured by an index of spiritual orientations, was significantly associated with a reduction in attempted suicide (ptrend=0.01). Those with a high level of cultural spiritual orientation had a reduced prevalence of suicide compared with those with low level of cultural spiritual orientation. (OR=0.5, 95% CI=0.3, 0.9). This result persisted after simultaneous adjustment for age, gender, education, heavy alcohol use, substance abuse and psychological distress. These results are consistent with anecdotal reports suggesting the effectiveness of American Indian suicide-prevention programs emphasizing orientations related to cultural spirituality.
AB - American Indians exhibit suicide-related behaviors at rates much higher than the general population. This study examines the relation of spirituality to the lifetime prevalence of attempted suicide in a probability sample of American Indians. Data were derived from a cross-sectional sample of 1456 American Indian tribal members (age range 15-57yr) who were living on or near their Northern Plains reservations between 1997 and 1999. Data were collected by personal interviews. Commitment to Christianity was assessed using a measure of beliefs. Commitment to tribal cultural spirituality (or forms of spirituality deriving from traditions that predate European contact) was assessed using separate measures for beliefs and spiritual orientations. Results indicated that neither commitment to Christianity nor to cultural spirituality, as measured by beliefs, was significantly associated with suicide attempts (ptrend for Christianity=0.22 and ptrend for cultural spirituality=0.85). Conversely, commitment to cultural spirituality, as measured by an index of spiritual orientations, was significantly associated with a reduction in attempted suicide (ptrend=0.01). Those with a high level of cultural spiritual orientation had a reduced prevalence of suicide compared with those with low level of cultural spiritual orientation. (OR=0.5, 95% CI=0.3, 0.9). This result persisted after simultaneous adjustment for age, gender, education, heavy alcohol use, substance abuse and psychological distress. These results are consistent with anecdotal reports suggesting the effectiveness of American Indian suicide-prevention programs emphasizing orientations related to cultural spirituality.
KW - American Indians
KW - Measurement
KW - Religion
KW - Spirituality
KW - Suicide
KW - USA
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U2 - 10.1016/S0277-9536(02)00157-0
DO - 10.1016/S0277-9536(02)00157-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 12614706
AN - SCOPUS:0037400218
SN - 0277-9536
VL - 56
SP - 1571
EP - 1579
JO - Social Science and Medicine
JF - Social Science and Medicine
IS - 7
ER -