Your faith could keep your child safe from suicide.
Kids are less likely to think about suicide or attempt to kill themselves if religion or spirituality is important to their parents. That’s according to a new study by the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University.
And that is true even if the kids themselves didn’t think religion was important.
It’s an important finding at a time when the suicide rate for children and teens was up 77 percent between 2006 and 2016.
The lower suicide risk among those raised in a religious home is independent of other common risk factors, including whether parents suffered from depression, showed suicidal behavior or divorced.
The feeling that religion or spirituality is important suggests “an inner strength,” said senior study author Myrna Weissman, of Columbia University.
“It isn’t about how much time you spend at church, or which particular religion you are, it’s having an inner belief that gives you some kind of strength that manifests in your behavior. And it is independent of your children’s opinion of religion.”
Taken together, the findings suggest that, among potential protective factors for suicidal behavior in children, parental religious beliefs should not be overlooked.”
The authors concluded — “As religiosity is often overlooked in clinical practice, we suggest that clinicians consider conducting a brief spiritual history with parents of children being brought in for psychiatric consultations, as well as assessing the children’s own religious beliefs and practices.”