Abstract
Studies which have explored the effect of spirituality on suicidality among patients with schizophrenia have been characterized by inconsistent results. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between spirituality and suicidality among stable patients with schizophrenia in Nigeria. The Daily Spiritual Experience Scale was applied to measure spirituality. There was found a significant relationship between spirituality and having had suicidal thoughts in a lifetime. Spirituality was negatively correlated with the severity of negative symptoms, total positive and negative syndrome scale score (PANSS), the severity of depression, and positively correlated with functioning.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alem, A., Jacobsson, L., Kebede, D., & Kullgren, G. (1999). Awareness and attitudes of a rural Ethiopian community toward suicidal behaviour. A key informant study in Butajira Ethiopia. ActaPsychiatricaScandinavicaSuppl, 397, 65–69. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1999.tb10696.x.
Andreasen, N. C., Carpenter, W. T., Kane, J. M., Lasser, R. A., Marder, S. R., & Weinberger, D. R. (2005). Remission in schizophrenia: proposed criteria and rationale for consensus. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 162(3), 441–449. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.162.3.441.
Bushe, C. J., Taylor, M., & Haukka, J. (2010). Mortality in schizophrenia: a measurable clinical endpoint. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 24(4 Suppl), 17–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359786810382468.
Chirico, F. (2016). Spiritual well-being in the 21st century: It is time to review the current WHO’s health definition. Journal Health Social Sciences, 1(1), 11–16.
Esan, O., Oladele, O., Adediran, K. I., & Abiona, T. O. (2020). Neurocognitive Impairments (NCI) in bipolar disorder: Comparison with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Journal of Affective Disorders, 277, 175–181.
Fallot, R. D. (2007). Spirituality and religion in recovery: some current issues. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 30(4), 261–270. https://doi.org/10.2975/30.4.2007.261.270.
Florenzano, R., Rodriguez, J., Sieverson, C., Cataldo, E., Pastorino, S., & Fernandez, L. (2014). Suicidal risk, depression, and religiosity: a study of women in a general hospital in Santiago de Chile. Asia-Pacific Psychiatry, 6(1), 23–27. https://doi.org/10.1111/appy.12102.
Giddens, J. M., & Sheehan, D. V. (2014). Is there value in asking the question “Do you think you would be better off dead?” in assessing suicidality? A case study. Innovations in clinical neuroscience, 11(9–10), 182.
Grover, S., Davuluri, T., & Chakrabarti, S. (2014). Religion, spirituality, and schizophrenia: a review. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 36(2), 119–124. https://doi.org/10.4103/0253-7176.130962.
Gureje, O., Kola, L., Uwakwe, R., Udofia, O., Wakil, A., & Afolabi, E. (2007). The profile and risks of suicidal behaviours in the Nigerian survey of mental health and well-being. Psychological Medicine, 37(6), 821–830. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291707000311.
Hamilton, M. (1960). A rating scale for depression. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 23, 56–62. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.23.1.56.
Hill, P. C., & Pargament, K. I. (2003). Advances in the conceptualization and measurement of religion and spirituality. Implications for physical and mental health research. American Psychologist, 58(1), 64–74. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.58.1.64.
Huguelet, P., Binyet-Vogel, S., Gonzalez, C., Favre, S., & McQuillan, A. (1997). Follow-up study of 67 first-episode schizophrenic patients and their involvement in religious activities. European Psychiatry, 12(6), 279–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0924-9338(97)84786-4.
Kay, S. R., Fiszbein, A., & Opler, L. A. (1987). The positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) for schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 13(2), 261–276.
Kessler, R. C., & Ustun, T. B. (2004). The World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative Version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 13(2), 93–121. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.168.
Koenig, H. G. (2007). Religion, spirituality and psychotic disorders. Revista de Psiquiatria Clínica, 34, 40–48.
Koenig, H. G. (2009). Research on religion, spirituality, and mental health: a review. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 54(5), 283–291. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674370905400502.
Koenig, H. G. (2012). Religion, spirituality, and health: the research and clinical implications. International Scholarly Research Network ISRN Psychiatry, 2012, 278730. https://doi.org/10.5402/2012/278730.
Koenig, H. G., George, L. K., & Titus, P. (2004). Religion, spirituality, and health in medically ill hospitalized older patients. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 52(4), 554–562. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52161.x.
Koenig, H. G., King, D., & Carson, V. B. (2012). Handbook of religion and health. Oxford University Press.
Larson, D. B., & Wilson, W. P. (1980). Religious life of alcoholics. Southern Medical Journal, 73(6), 723–727. https://doi.org/10.1097/00007611-198006000-00011.
Lawrence, R. E., Oquendo, M. A., & Stanley, B. (2016). Religion and suicide risk: A systematic review. Archives of Suicide Research, 20(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2015.1004494.
Miles, J. (2002). Treatment combines Spirituality with psychiatry. Paper presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics, USA.
Mohr, S., Perroud, N., Gillieron, C., Brandt, P. Y., Rieben, I., Borras, L., & Huguelet, P. (2011). Spirituality and religiousness as predictive factors of outcome in schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorders. Psychiatry Research, 186(2–3), 177–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2010.08.012.
Palmer, B. A., Pankratz, V. S., & Bostwick, J. M. (2005). The lifetime risk of suicide in schizophrenia: A reexamination. Archives Of General Psychiatry, 62(3), 247–253. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.62.3.247.
Perlman, C. M., Neufeld, E., Martin, L., Goy, M., & Hirdes, J. P. (2011). Suicide Risk Assessment Inventory: A Resource Guide for Canadian Health care Organizations. Ontario Hospital Association and Canadian Patient Safety Institute.
Rao, M. S. (2005). Spirituality in psychiatry? Psychiatry (Edgmont), 2(9), 20–22.
Saha, S., Chant, D., & McGrath, J. (2007). A systematic review of mortality in schizophrenia: Is the differential mortality gap worsening over time? Archives of General Psychiatry, 64(10), 1123–1131. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.64.10.1123.
Singh, D. K. M., & Ajinkya, S. (2012). Spirituality and religion in modern medicine. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 34(4), 399–402.
Strik, J. J., Honig, A., Lousberg, R., & Denollet, J. (2001). Sensitivity and specificity of observer and self-report questionnaires in major and minor depression following myocardial infarction. Psychosomatics, 42(5), 423–428. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psy.42.5.423.
Triveni, D., Grover, S., & Chakrabarti, S. (2017). Religiosity among patients with schizophrenia: An exploratory study. Indian journal of Psychiatry, 59(4), 420–428. https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_17_17.
Underwood, L. G. (2011). The daily spiritual experience scale: overview and results. Religions, 2, 29–50.
Underwood, L. G., & Teresi, J. A. (2002). The daily spiritual experience scale: development, theoretical description, reliability, exploratory factor analysis, and preliminary construct validity using health-related data. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 24(1), 22–33. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15324796ABM2401_04.
Verghese, A. (2008). Spirituality and mental health. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 50(4), 233–237. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.44742.
Webb, M., Charbonneau, A. M., McCann, R. A., & Gayle, K. R. (2011). Struggling and enduring with god, religious support, and recovery from severe mental illness. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 67(12), 1161–1176. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20838.
Wink, P. (1991). Self- and object-directedness in adult women. Journal of personality, 59(4), 769–791. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1991.tb00931.x.
Wink, P., & Dillon, M. (2003). Religiousness, spirituality, and psychosocial functioning in late adulthood: findings from a longitudinal study. Psychology and Aging, 18(4), 916–924. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.18.4.916.
Funding
This work was supported by a grant from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). The funder did not play any role in the design, collection, screening, interpretation, writing and submission for publication of this study. The funder holds no responsibility for the contents of this study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflicts of Interest
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) funded the MULBERRY Study.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Esan, O., Lawal, K. Spirituality and Suicidality Among Patients with Schizophrenia: A Cross-sectional Study from Nigeria. J Relig Health 60, 2547–2559 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01244-3
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01244-3