New research says religion can prevent COVID-19 'deaths of despair'
NEW YORK — People who regularly attend religious gatherings are much less likely to succumb to “deaths of despair,” which have increased in recent years and are projected to rise during the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impacts, new research suggests.
Two separate studies were published this week about premature death from suicide, accidental poisoning by alcohol or drug overdose, and chronic liver diseases and cirrhosis.
Research led by Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health examined causes of death among more than 100,000 healthcare professionals in correlation with frequent attendance at religious services. Women who attended services at least once per week were 68 percent less likely to die of suicide or alcohol or drug use. Male regular attendees were 33 percent less likely to die of such causes.
The study used statistics from 2001 through 2017 for the cohort of women and from 1988 through 2014 for the men. It was published May 6 in the journal JAMA Psychology.
Religiosity that includes regular attendance is associated with better psychosocial health, the study said. Such people get the benefits of social support from a close-knit community and often have a stronger sense of hope and purpose in life. Despair that leads to self-harm comes from loss of meaning, the researchers wrote, and being active in a community of faith is associated with finding meaning in life.
Many religious traditions promote behaviors linked to health and wellbeing, like prohibitions against self-injury and substance abuse and holistic self-care, the Harvard study noted.
“For example, in Christianity, the human body is perceived as a temple worthy of protection and care; in Judaism, the practice of Sabbath facilitates rest, renewal, and connection with God, family, and community; in Islam, alcohol and drugs are prohibited as intoxicants that cloud the mind and upset harmony in one’s community,” the researchers wrote.
Another study published May 8 by the Well Being Trust and the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care projected that 75,000 Americans are at risk of suicide and drug and alcohol misuse due to the psychological effects of the pandemic. The authors of the study cautioned that the findings should not encourage lifting restrictions to prevent COVID-19 deaths, but rather they should prod governments to prepare and promote mental health resources.
“Three factors, already at work, are exacerbating deaths of despair: unprecedented economic failure paired with massive unemployment, mandated social isolation for months and possible residual isolation for years, and uncertainty caused by the sudden emergence of a novel, previously unknown microbe,” researchers wrote.
The Harvard study’s analysis was conducted between September 2018 and July 2019, well before the coronavirus pandemic. Under ordinary conditions, the stress of healthcare work contributes to a suicide rate for medical professionals that is more than double that of the general population.
During the pandemic, houses of worship are grappling with how to maintain their sense of community and prevent members from feeling isolated or lonely at home. Most have moved to online services and Zoom meetings, but for those at increased risk for suicide, it may not be enough.
One prominent example was the recent suicide of Dr. Lorna M. Breen, 49, a church-attending New Yorker and medical director of the ER at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital during the coronavirus response. And this week, Darrin Patrick, 49, a Southern Baptist pastor and founder of St. Louis megachurch The Journey, died in an apparent suicide.
What causes a person to feel despair varies depending on their background and circumstances, noted the Harvard researchers who studied service attendance. “Regardless of the context, however, a completed suicide, in most cases, indicates marked despair. The fundamental processes leading to despair — a loss of meaning in life — may also be similar across settings,” they wrote. “For some individuals, religious participation may serve as an important antidote and an asset for sustaining a sense of hope and meaning.”
Micah Danney is a Poynter-Koch fellow and a reporter and associate editor for Religion Unplugged. He is an alumnus of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and has reported for news outlets in the NYC area, interned at The Times of Israel and covered religion in Israel for The GroundTruth Project.