Observant Teens Less Likely To Commit Suicide
Religious Jewish teens are far less likely to attempt suicide than their secular Jewish counterparts, a new study finds.
The study, led by researchers from Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine and Clalit Health Service’s Geha Mental Health Center, and published last week in the journal European Psychology, bolsters previous research that religious faith may offer some protection against suicide.
Researchers interviewed 620 Jewish-Israelis aged 14-17 and asked them to define their degree of religiosity as “secular,” “observant” or “ultra-Orthodox.” They found that the most religious were 45 percent less likely to exhibit suicidal thoughts and behaviors than the less religious.
Study co-authors Dr. Gal Shoval and Dr. Ben Amit claim that theirs is the first study that examines the relationship between Jewish religiosity and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in adolescents.
In contrast to similar studies on religious Christian teenagers, who reported feeling less depressed than their secular peers, the religious Jewish teens still reported high levels of depression despite their decreased tendency for suicidal thoughts.
“Using statistical tools, we demonstrated that the protective effect of the practice of Judaism was not associated with a decreased risk of depression,” Amit said. “Instead, it enhanced effective coping mechanisms.”
The researchers attributed their results in part to Judaism’s spiritual and communal support, as well as its prohibition against suicide. They see their findings as having important clinical implications regarding risk assessment and suicide prevention.
An online version of the Israeli study was published by European Psychiatry in June. It is scheduled to be published in an upcoming issue of the print journal.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!