HAROLD KOENIG, VETERANS, INFIRMITIES, AND SUICIDE

If we really care about the welfare of people, veterans, and our neighborhoods, we should attempt to identify the leading help interventions. In “SPIRITUALITY & HEALTH RESEARCH: Methods, Measurement, Statistics, and Resources,” Harold G. Koenig, MD has done more to survey the available research regarding the question of what is associated with positive mental and physical outcomes than perhaps anyone else. He has identified religion/spirituality (R/S) as the key element. Ironically, it is this very element that has been banned from the various forms of psychological intervention. Here is only a small sampling of what Koenig has found:

HUMAN VIRTUES: “With regard to forgiveness, at least 40 studies have now examined relationships with R/ S. Of those, 34 (85 percent) found that R/ S was significantly correlated with being more forgiving (one at a trend level). Similarly, at least 47 studies have examined relationships between R/ S and altruism (volunteering, donating money to the needy, etc.), of which 33 (70 percent) reported more altruistic activities among the more religious. Finally, we located 5 studies that examined relationships between R/ S and gratefulness, and all five found significantly higher levels of gratefulness among the more religious.”

SOCIAL CAPITAL: “A number of studies have now examined relationships between R/ S, social capital, and its converse, delinquency and crime. At least 14 studies have examined relationships between R/ S and social capital, and 11 (79 percent) found significant positive associations. At least 104 studies have now examined relationships between R/ S and antisocial behaviors, crime, or delinquency, and 82 (79 percent) found lower rates among those who were more R/ S (two at a trend level). Another aspect of social capital is performance by youth in school. Of the 11 studies that examined relationships between R/ S and school performance (assessed by grades, GPA, or likelihood of graduation), all 11 (100 percent) found significant positive relationships.”

DEPRESSION: “At least 444 studies have now quantitatively examined relationships between R/ S and depression, and 272 (61 percent) of those found less depression, faster remission from depression, or a reduction in depression severity in response to an R/ S intervention (ten studies at a trend level). In contrast, only 6 percent reported greater depression in those who were more R/ S. Of the 178 methodologically most rigorous studies, 119 (67 percent) found inverse relationships between R/ S and depression.”

SUICIDE: “We identified 141 studies that had examined relationships between R/ S and some aspect of suicide (completed suicide, attempted suicide, or attitudes toward suicide), and 106 (75 percent) reported significant inverse relationships; 80 percent of the best designed studies reported this finding.”

Koenig also concluded that, “Those who are R/ S live a healthier lifestyle that lowers their risk of physical illness.”

HYPERTENSION: “At least 63 studies have examined relationships between R/ S and blood pressure (BP) or hypertension, and 36 (57 percent) of those reported lower BP or less hypertension in those who were more R/ S or received R/ S interventions. Of the 39 best studies, 24 (62 percent) reported this finding. In contrast, 7 of 63 studies (11 percent) reported higher BP or more hypertension in the more R/ S.”

CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE: “We identified 9 studies that focused on relationships between R/ S and stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), or carotid artery thickness, or examined the effects of an R/ S “intervention on these outcomes. Four (44 percent) of those studies reported that R/ S was related to significantly less disease, 4 found no association, and 1 found greater carotid artery thickness in those who were more R/ S.”

DEMENTIA: “We located 21 studies that examined relationships between R/ S and dementia or cognitive impairment. Of those, 10 (48 percent) reported significant inverse relationships, 3 (14 percent) found significant positive relationships, 2 reported mixed findings, and 6 (29 percent) found no association. Of the 14 most rigorously designed studies, 8 (57 percent) reported inverse relationships with R/ S, whereas 3 reported significant positive relationships. Of the 7 prospective cohort studies, 5 (71 percent) found that R/ S involvement at baseline predicted significantly less cognitive decline over time.”

MORTALITY: “At least 121 studies have now examined that relationship, with 82 (68 percent) finding that greater R/ S involvement predicted greater longevity, and 7 studies (6 percent) reported shorter longevity. Among studies with the most rigorous methodology, 13 of 17 (76 percent) found that R/ S predicted greater longevity.”

From this small sample of Koenig’s work, it is imperative that concerned mental health and medical professionals must not ignore R/S. This is particularly critical concerning our veterans. “Military Times” (2018/09/26) reported:

• About 20 veterans a day across the country take their own lives, and veterans accounted for 14 percent of all adult suicide deaths in the U.S. in 2016.

It should be noted that this is occurring at a time when secular mental health interventions have increased, while the military chaplaincy has become more restricted. This is tragic because our military personnel need the reassurance of the love, forgiveness, acceptance, and hope that is to be found in Jesus Christ, whatever their sins, traumas, or infirmities - the very needs that secularism is unable to fulfill.