Author(s): Isaak Palomaki, Andres Vasquez, Dani Asher
Mentor(s): Kirsten Graham, Bryan Koenig, Daniel Hatch
Institution SUU
In 2021, 48,183 individuals died by suicide in the USA, and Utah ranks 14th in suicide rate per capita. Joiner’s (2005) Interpersonal Theory of suicidality posits that social influences may account for underlying factors influencing suicide. While religious affiliation has been linked with reduced suicide risk, these findings are mixed. Furthermore Utah is a state where a large part of the population is members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Laterday-saints (LDS), making it a religious majority. Therefore, we want to understand how social factors such as thwarted belonging, perceived burdensomeness, religious strain, and perceived social support from family and friends may differ in relation to suicidality between individuals who are LDS and non-LDS. Participants (N=810) were all students at a regional university in the West. Two path analysis models were created to explore interpersonal variables predicting suicidality within an LDS (n=431) and non-LDS (n=379) sample. The model included thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness as proximal predictors of suicidality and other social factors (perceived social support and interpersonal strain) as distal predictors. Several pathways differed across LDS and non-LDS models. The variance explaining suicidality in the two models also differed, indicating that these social factors explain more suicidality in the LDS vs. non-LDS sample. Thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, religious strain, and perceived social support from family and friends may explain some of the underlying factors for why someone has suicidal tendencies. Future studies could further explore and expand upon this model in a larger and more diverse sample.