Opinion Article Re: Religious Activity and Suicidal Ideation (LGBT)

[smac97]

Here: 

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Opinion: Are Latter-day Saint LGBTQ youths less suicidal? New research asks the question

Strong familial ties and less drug and alcohol use were important factors in explaining the difference in reported mental health outcomes

By Walter Schumm  Oct 13, 2021, 10:03pm MDT

Might traditional religion actually be a protective factor against suicidality for youths, including LGBTQ youths?

A forthcoming analysis of data from the 2019 Utah Prevention Needs Assessment survey suggests that Latter-day Saint LGBQ youths (gender identity wasn’t looked at in the study) had lower levels of reported depression and suicidality than nonreligious LGBQ youths.

Published by three professors at Brigham Young University, the study also found that Latter-day Saint youths generally reported better outcomes in terms of depression and suicidality than their nonreligious peers.

In a separate study, recently published by Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, researchers from Bowling Green State University analyzed the same data set and similarly found LGBTQ-Latter-day Saints had lower suicide risk than those of other faiths or no faith.

I think this is an important topic.

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This research will undoubtedly prompt further investigation and study. The predominant social science theory used to explain discrepancies, on average, between mental health and physical health between sexual minorities and heterosexuals has been the sexual minority stress model, often labeled sexual minority theory. The gist of the theory is that social oppression and stigma adversely impact sexual minorities, including gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual persons and families, leading to, if not causing, adverse health consequences.

I think we've discussed this theory (perhaps not in name, but conceptually) on this board previously.

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Lately some controversy has arisen over the theory and the tendency to assume it’s correct without adequately testing alternative models. Still, most scholars today accept, with some evidence, that religion, especially traditional religion, is responsible for at least some stigma against sexual minorities. Surely cultural campaigns have plenty to say on that subject, too.

In turn, many scholars theorize that this stigma can become internalized and lead to physical and mental health problems. One study, for example, tied suicide and degraded mental health experienced by sexual minorities to conflicts with religion. Others have claimed that “One of the societal institutions with high rates of sexual stigma is religious organizations.”

Yep.  Plenty is said on this board, for example.

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Given that context, the recent data from Utah merits consideration. In the BYU analysis, Justin Dyer, Michael Goodman and David Wood, present evidence from the same large government survey of more than 86,000 Utah youths that the Bowling Green scholars analyzed. Their findings are that levels of depression and suicidality were elevated for LGBQ students across all levels of religious affiliation. Notably, however, the differences were smaller for Latter-day Saints than for other religious groups, including those with no religious affiliation.

It's interesting that "no religious affiliation" is considered a religious grouping.  I think that's correct, but I'm not sure we usually conceptualize it that way.

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On the surface, such findings would potentially further support sexual minority theory, at least in terms of elevated rates of depression and suicidality for LGBTQ youths. Some have suggested that Utah’s relatively high rate of youth suicide might be related to the large majority of residents who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In social science literature, however, religiosity is generally associated with reduced suicide rates, possibly because it provides added social support, stronger community connections, meaning in life, better parent-child relations, and avoidance of self-destructive behaviors such as excessive alcohol or drug use.

(Emphasis added.)  

I don't think this gets enough attention.

Here's where the opinion piece gets interesting:

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How would these different factors and patterns play out with such a large sample of Utah youths?

On the one hand, we might assume, LGBTQ youths who are Latter-day Saints would fare better in mental health because of the positive aspects of religiosity; yet, on the other hand, others might theorize that they would fare worse because of exposure to what some perceive as negative religious attitudes and beliefs about same-sex sexuality.

Again, this sort of thing has been discussed a lot on this board.

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This is where the new research provides additional insight. The data from the Student Health and Risk Prevention (SHARP) Statewide Survey was anonymous and responses were weighted to reflect the overall population of youths in Utah. Key variables analyzed in the BYU study included religious affiliation, sexual orientation, suicide ideation or attempt, depression, having a mother/father at home, level of family conflict at home, family drug use, personal drug use, feeling safe at school, and having been bullied in school either for religion or sexual orientation.

Latter-day Saint students generally were less likely to have considered suicide or attempted suicide, be depressed, use drugs, come from a drug using family, or be bullied for their sexual orientation; they were more likely to come from a home with stable parents, more likely to feel safe at school, and more likely to have been bullied on account of their religion.

The BYU analysis found that LGBQ students generally were more likely than non LGBQ students to report having considered suicide (40.8% vs. 15.6%) or attempted suicide (19.1% vs. 6.0%), to have no religious affiliation (44.7% vs. 19.0%), to report higher levels of family conflict at home and to not live with both a mother and father (35.7% vs. 23.1%). LGBQ students were also more likely to report living with a family that engaged in drug use (49.0% vs. 32.8%) or personally using drugs themselves (44.4% vs. 26.4%). They are also more likely to have been bullied on account of their sexual orientation (19.3% vs. 0.80%), but less so in terms of religion-based bullying (5.0% vs. 4.8%).

This seems like pretty encouraging news about a pretty discouraging/difficult topic.

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In their final model the BYU scholars included several two-way interaction effects which found that religious Catholic and Protestant students were slightly less likely to report being depressed. Those with no religious affiliation were the most depressed of any group. Catholic students were slightly less likely to report having considered suicide, but other comparisons were seldom statistically significant, or the patterns were not consistent.

Both the BYU and Bowling Green studies suggest that being a Latter-day Saint is protective against depression and suicidality, even for LGBTQ students. In the BYU analysis, strong familial ties and less drug and alcohol use were important factors in explaining the difference in these reported mental health outcomes.

These results may suggest that the initial differences observed in mental health as a function of sexual orientation might in some instances be explained by other key factors used in their analyses rather than purely as a function of religious affiliation per se.

(Emphasis added.)  I think this is an important finding.

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The results roughly parallel those of recent scholarly work that used a meta-analysis of 73 studies about relationships between religiosity/spirituality and health for sexual minorities, finding that those two factors were positively related for sexual minorities, especially when the effects were measured in terms of belief or spirituality. Deeper analyses using different factors might overturn some of the findings, but this work together with the Utah data suggest the prospect that religion may not always or necessarily be responsible for adverse mental health outcomes among LGBQ students, even as the results cannot be generalized outside of the state of Utah due to the nature of the sample.

The analysis provides an interesting development in research on youth mental health that will undoubtedly spur additional investigation, particularly as communities search for best practices in reducing suicide and improving the lives of youths.

I hope more investigation happens.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

-Smac

[Stormin' Mormon]

Yeesh.  I made the mistake of venturing into the comment section of the original article.  Such bitterness and ugliness there.  Ima go take a shower now.

[Robert F. Smith]

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In social science literature, however, religiosity is generally associated with reduced suicide rates, possibly because it provides added social support, stronger community connections, meaning in life, better parent-child relations, and avoidance of self-destructive behaviors such as excessive alcohol or drug use.

You are certainly correct to call attention to this.  Among very cohesive religious communities (Hutterite Brethren, for example) one sees very little mental illness.  The reason frequently given is that tight social support.

[smac97]

Daniel Peterson has posted some thoughts on this article: Two studies of LDS, LGBTQ Youth, and Suicide

Some excerpts:

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There are relatively few genuinely new arguments against the Restoration and against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

I have really found this to be true.  For the past several years I have found myself more and more responding to arguments presented here by cutting and pasting something I have said previously, often many times over.

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But some do exist that have been formulated in recent years.  One of the more innovative arguments, popular among some critics of the Church, is that Latter-day Saint standards and doctrine make miserable the lives of adolescents who are attracted to people of their own sex.  These critics hope to deploy youth suicides as a weapon against the claims of the Restored Church.

We've seen this a lot on this board.  Here's a sample.  And another.

Back to DCP's post:

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Two recent studies seem to cast at least a little bit of doubt on this effort:

W. Justin Dyer, Michael A. Goodman, and David S. Wood, “Religion and Sexual Orientation as Predictors of Utah Youth Suicidality.”  Accepted for Publication on July 27, 2021 at BYU Studies Quarterly Prepublication Manuscript

In a sample of 86,346 youth in Utah (grades 6,8,10, and 12) the relationship between religion and suicidality and depression was examined. Previous research suggests religion is protective, though whether it is also protective for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning individuals (LGBQ) is debated. In line with previous research, we hypothesized that those belonging to the dominant religion in Utah (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) would have lower suicidality than other religious groups due to greater family connections, lower substance use, and more community connections (i.e., less bullying for sexual orientation or religion and feeling safer at school). Whether this held for LGBQ individuals was also examined. Overall, results found Latter-day Saints were lower in suicidality and depression; differences were almost entirely explained by family connections and substance use (less so by community connections). Similarly, regarding suicidality and depression, LGBQ Latter-day Saints were significantly lower than or equal to LGBQ individuals of other religions and no religion. Again, differences between LBGQ Latter-day Saints and others were almost entirely explained by family connections and substance use. Community connections explained little of the difference between Latter-day Saints and others, though community connections had a strong main effect on suicidality and depression.

Some might scoff at this first study because two of its three authors are on the faculty of Religious Education at Brigham Young University.  What kind of qualifications would they have for addressing a topic such as this?  Well, Michael A. Goodman, who is a member of the Religious Education faculty, has a Ph.D. in in marriage, family, and human development from Brigham Young University.  W. Justin Dyer, also a member of the faculty of Religious Education at BYU, earned a Ph.D. in  human and community development from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  And David S. Wood, who earned his doctorate in counseling psychology from Arizona State University, teaches in BYU’s School of Social Work.

Which is to say that the study will need to be evaluated on its merits or its lack of merits rather than dismissed with an easy ad hominem.

Yeah, I think we can see the ad hominem responses a mile off.

The next part is where DCP cites the Bowling Green study referenced in the OP:

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And then there’s this:

McGraw, J. S., Docherty, M., Chinn, J. R., & Mahoney, A. (2021). “Family, faith, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) among LGBTQ youth in Utah.”  Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000517

 

Utah ranks fifth in the nation for suicide and has experienced a rapid increase in youth deaths by suicide over the last decade. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth in Utah may be at heightened risk, given the major presence and stances of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regarding LGBTQ identities and relationships. However, no research has yet examined the differences in or predictors of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs; i.e., suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts) among LGBTQ youth in Utah. Using a large representative sample of Utah middle and high schoolers (n = 73,982), we found that Latter-day Saint (LDS) and non-LDS LGBTQ groups reported greater levels of STBs than heterosexual/cisgender youth, with non-LDS LGBTQ youth reporting the highest levels of STBs, followed by LDS LGBTQ youth. Path-analyses demonstrated that LGBTQ participants’ reports of higher family conflict and lower parental closeness were tied to higher depression, self-harm, and substance misuse, and these three factors were, in turn, associated with higher levels of STBs for LGBTQ youth in Utah. This path model did not differ significantly due to LDS versus non-LDS religious affiliation. Findings suggest that LGBTQ youth in Utah would be well served if clinicians and advocacy groups pay attention to the ways that religious affiliation and family dynamics might indirectly lead to STBs among adolescents. Public Significance Statement: This study found that both Latter-day Saint and non-Latter-day Saint LGBTQ youth are at higher risk for experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors than their heterosexual or cisgender peers. Additionally, for LGBTQ youth, higher levels of family conflict and lower levels of parental closeness were related to more depression, substance misuse, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts. These findings demonstrate the potential familial and religious risks that LGBTQ youth may experience in Utah. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

 

For whatever it’s worth, I also looked up the co-authors of this second study:  James S. McGraw is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where J. Chinn too is a graduate student.  Meagan Docherty teaches in Bowling Green’s Department of Psychology, and Annette Mahoney is a Professor of Clinical Psychology there.

Please do not misinterpret what I’m saying here by my sharing the titles, abstracts, and links of these two studies.  I’m not minimizing the gravity of suicide or downplaying what seems to be a growing problem.  Even a single suicide — whatever the sexuality of the person involved may be — is an inestimable tragedy and, very plainly, one suicide too many.

 

Thanks,

-Smac

[Canadiandude]

~

Edited October 18, 2021 by Canadiandude
Deleted so as to not brew a board war

[Canadiandude]

My preferred site for all things Dr. Peterson.

[Canadiandude]

It would seem that being a member of at least one dominant in-group in Utah is a protective factor over being minority on multiple fronts.
 

[LoudmouthMormon]

Good news.

[JustAnAustralian]

2 hours ago, Canadiandude said:

https://Mormondialogue.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=154136

 

*Yawn*

Why are you hiding a different site behind a mormondialogue URL?

Edited October 17, 2021 by JustAnAustralian

[Canadiandude]

32 minutes ago, JustAnAustralian said:

Why are you hiding a different site behind a mormondialogue URL?

Good question. It appears I gave the wrong link. My bad. 
 

I have edited it.

 

edit: apparently when I copy and paste the link as is, it keeps changing to the dialogue site instead. I’ve since tried inserting the link and naming it something else. Hope that fixes it.

Edited October 17, 2021 by Canadiandude

[Hamba Tuhan]

4 hours ago, Canadiandude said:

*Yawn*

From the OP at your link: 'In a separate study, recently published by Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, researchers from Bowling Green State University analyzed the same data set and similarly found LGBTQ-Latter-day Saints had lower suicide risk than those of other faiths or no faith'.

Do you have any idea why people at your link are willing to spend four pages criticising and mocking the researchers at BYU without ever criticising or mocking the researchers from Bowling Green who reached a similar conclusion?

Edited October 17, 2021 by Hamba Tuhan

[bluebell]

41 minutes ago, Canadiandude said:

Good question. It appears I gave the wrong link. My bad. 
 

I have edited it.

 

edit: apparently when I copy and paste the link as is, it keeps changing to the dialogue site instead. I’ve since tried inserting the link and naming it something else. Hope that fixes it.

I think that there is at least one website that this board won't allow any links to.  It's caused to many problems in the past with board wars.  Maybe you are trying to link to that one?

[Canadiandude]

18 minutes ago, bluebell said:

I think that there is at least one website that this board won't allow any links to.  It's caused to many problems in the past with board wars.  Maybe you are trying to link to that one?

It’s possible, and if so I apologize, as I was unaware of the history.

[Canadiandude]

50 minutes ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

From the OP at your link: 'In a separate study, recently published by Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, researchers from Bowling Green State University analyzed the same data set and similarly found LGBTQ-Latter-day Saints had lower suicide risk than those of other faiths or no faith'.

Do you have any idea why people at your link are willing to spend four pages criticising and mocking the researchers at BYU without ever criticising or mocking the researchers from Bowling Green who reached a similar conclusion?

Maybe to look at what things might be missing? 
 

Oh, please. Where was the outrage on this board when scholars like Dr. Benjamin E Park got blocklisted from the MI.

As for the Journal that it was published in, I’m glad it was in a peer-reviewed publication. Greater rigour  than what goes on at the Interpreter. Which I believe is Dr. Peterson’s thingie no?

No.

I’m sure there’s some wonderful  member scholarship out there but I owe no reverence to Peterson thanks.

No Tapir-riding for me.

 

 

 

[Hamba Tuhan]

5 minutes ago, Canadiandude said:

Oh, please. Where was the outrage on this board when scholars like Dr. Benjamin E Park got blocklisted from the MI.

As for the Journal that it was published in, I’m glad it was in a peer-reviewed publication. Greater rigour  than what goes on at the Interpreter. Which I believe is Dr. Peterson’s thingie no?

No.

I’m sure there’s some wonderful  member scholarship out there but I owe no reverence to Peterson thanks.

No Tapir-riding for me.

I have no idea what you're talking about here. But it was a serious question ... and the very first thing I picked up when I looked at your link.

Edited October 18, 2021 by Hamba Tuhan

[Canadiandude]

2 minutes ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

???

I have no idea what you're talking about here. But it was a serious question ... and the very first thing I picked up when I looked at your link.

If they used the same data set than how representative really is it. Seems pretty Utah specific no?
 

Maybe the board members there hadn’t previously read the study before this one.

You’d have to ask them. 

 

[Hamba Tuhan]

13 minutes ago, Canadiandude said:

Maybe the board members there hadn’t previously read the study before this one.

I suspect you're right, but since it's linked to in the OP (and potentially deconstructs the entire point of the thread), it seems a bit sloppy to just jump right over it as if it doesn't exist.

Edited October 18, 2021 by Hamba Tuhan

[Canadiandude]

7 minutes ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

I suspect you're right, but since it's linked to in the OP (and potentially deconstructs the entire point of the thread), it seems a bit sloppy to just jump right over it as if it doesn't exist.

That’s fair. 
 

[Scott Lloyd]

On 10/14/2021 at 11:27 AM, Stormin' Mormon said:

Yeesh.  I made the mistake of venturing into the comment section of the original article.  Such bitterness and ugliness there.  Ima go take a shower now.

It can be jarring to have one’s cherished misconceptions soundly debunked. Many people can’t take it and react with hostility. 

[The Nehor]

7 hours ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

From the OP at your link: 'In a separate study, recently published by Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, researchers from Bowling Green State University analyzed the same data set and similarly found LGBTQ-Latter-day Saints had lower suicide risk than those of other faiths or no faith'.

Do you have any idea why people at your link are willing to spend four pages criticising and mocking the researchers at BYU without ever criticising or mocking the researchers from Bowling Green who reached a similar conclusion?

Researchers from Bowling Green? I call shenanigans.

The idea that anyone there can conduct research after the horrific Bowling Green Massacre makes me just a bit skeptical.

Just saying.

[Scott Lloyd]

1 hour ago, The Nehor said:

Researchers from Bowling Green? I call shenanigans.

The idea that anyone there can conduct research after the horrific Bowling Green Massacre makes me just a bit skeptical.

Just saying.

 

[Calm]

2 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said:

 

Why do they look like they think the photographer is a weirdo?  I get the feeling he told them to look “intense”.  Maybe “moody”.

[Scott Lloyd]

4 hours ago, Calm said:

Why do they look like they think the photographer is a weirdo?  I get the feeling he told them to look “intense”.  Maybe “moody”.

Maybe going for a James Dean vibe, given the tenor of the times. 
 

On a not-totally-unrelated note, I’ve wondered why, back when I was in high school, the yearbook group photo of the football team always showed the members scowling at the camera. 
 

Cool song, though. I’ve been an Everly Brothers fan since childhood. We just lost Don this year; Phil passed a few years ago. 

Edited October 18, 2021 by Scott Lloyd