Citation

Jung JH, Lee H. J. Relig. Health 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Academy of Religion and Mental Health, Publisher Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10943-023-01917-1

PMID

37773487

Abstract

This study examines whether adverse childhood experiences are associated with passive suicidal ideation in later life and whether religious attendance moderates this association among U.S. older adults. To this end, logistic regression analyses were conducted using data from the 2016 Health and Retirement Study. The results show that poor childhood health, lack of parental affection, and childhood trauma are all positively associated with passive suicidal ideation in later life. However, religious attendance modifies the association between childhood health and passive suicidal ideation. For instance, poor childhood health is associated with greater odds of passive suicidal ideation only for older adults who never attend religious services, while this is not the case for those who attend religious services. Yet, the associations of parental affection and childhood trauma with passive suicidal ideation do not appear to differ by religious attendance. We discuss the theoretical implications of these findings for views about childhood adversity, religion, and suicide risk in later life.

Language: en

Keywords

Childhood adversity; Passive suicidal ideation; Religion; Stress process model