Reasons for Living, Spirituality and Suicidal Ideation Among Adults in a Spiritually Integrated Inpatient Programme

Abstract

Parallel lines of research suggest reasons for living (RFL) and spirituality often reduce risk for suicide in psychiatric patients. However, research has not examined the links and probable interplay between RFL and core aspects of patients' spirituality that might buffer suicidal ideation in times of severe psychological suffering. In total, 242 adults entering an inpatient treatment programme in a spiritually integrated behavioural health centre (40% cisgender male; 57% cisgender female; 3.0% non-binary) completed validated measures of RFL (fear of social disapproval, moral objections of suicide, survival/coping beliefs, responsibility to the family, fear of suicide), spirituality (spirituality transcendence, transcendent accountability), suicidal ideation and other mental health symptoms (anxiety, depression). Moral objections to suicide and survival and coping beliefs were moderately to strongly linked with deriving a sense of transcendence and accountability from their spirituality and better mental health (lower depression symptoms and suicide ideation). Of the RFL factors, multivariate findings suggested survival and coping beliefs mitigate suicidal ideation independently from spirituality factors whereas moral objections to suicide might serve as a vital mechanism for the protective role of spirituality in reducing suicide risk in high-risk groups. In combination, these findings highlight the need for longitudinal research to ascertain the temporal sequence of these apparent pathways to suicidal ideation along with the value of inquiring about patients' spirituality and RFL in routine assessment and intervention procedures in psychiatric settings.