Alcohol and Suicide, Jews and Protestants, 1999-2000

<P>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</P><br>The aims of the project were to examine alcohol- and suicide-related beliefs among UK Protestants and Jews, both men and women, to investigate the so-called alcohol-suicide-depression hypothesis. This hypothesis suggests that attitudes to alcohol use and suicide will be more favourable among Protestants than Jews, and among men more than women. Questionnaire measures of alcohol- and suicide-related beliefs and behaviour assessed the dependent variables in an analysis of covariance design. The independent variables were cultural-religious group (Protestant vs. Jewish background or affiliation). Covariates, assessed by questionnaire measures, were religiosity, depression, anxiety, and (a new measure of) tolerance for depression.<br><B>Main Topics</B>:<BR><br>The data cover: <br> demographics - participant's age, other demographic factors, religious practice;<br> alcohol - consumption, beliefs about alcoholism, expectations about alcohol's effects, attitudes to alcohol use;<br> suicide - attempts, ideation, reasons for living;<br> tolerance for depression;<br> depression, anxiety.<br> <br> Standard Measures<br> Reasons for Living inventory (RFL): Linehan, M. M. et al (1983) 'Reasons for staying alive when you are thinking of killing yourself: the Reasons for Living inventory' &lt;i&gt;Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology&lt;/i&gt;, 52, pp.276-286.<br> Religious Activity Measure, from: Loewenthal, K. M., Macleod, A. K. and Cinnirella, M. (2001) 'Are women more religious than men? Gender differences in religious activity among different religious groups in the UK' &lt;i&gt;Personality and Individual Differences&lt;/i&gt;.<br> Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES): Martin, C. S. et al (1993) 'Development and validation of the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale' &lt;i&gt;Alcoholism - Clinical and Experimental Research&lt;/i&gt;, 17, pp.140-146.<br> Alcohol consumption, from: Weiss, S. and Moore, M. (1992) 'Perception of alcoholism among Jewish, Moslem and Christian teachers in Israel' &lt;i&gt;Journal of Drug Education&lt;/i&gt;, 22, pp.253-260.<br> Suicide ideation and attempts, from the Present State Examination: Wing, J. K., Cooper, J. E. and Sartorius, N. (1973) &lt;i&gt;The measurement and classification of psychiatric symptoms&lt;/i&gt;, London: Cambridge University Press.<br> Anxiety, depression: Zigmond, A. S. and Snaith, R. P. (1993) 'The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale' &lt;i&gt;Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavia&lt;/i&gt;, 67, pp.361-370.