Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.
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.
Main Topics:
The data cover: demographics - participant's age, other demographic factors, religious practice; alcohol - consumption, beliefs about alcoholism, expectations about alcohol's effects, attitudes to alcohol use; suicide - attempts, ideation, reasons for living; tolerance for depression; depression, anxiety. Standard Measures 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' <i>Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology</i>, 52, pp.276-286. 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' <i>Personality and Individual Differences</i>. Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES): Martin, C. S. et al (1993) 'Development and validation of the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale' <i>Alcoholism - Clinical and Experimental Research</i>, 17, pp.140-146. Alcohol consumption, from: Weiss, S. and Moore, M. (1992) 'Perception of alcoholism among Jewish, Moslem and Christian teachers in Israel' <i>Journal of Drug Education</i>, 22, pp.253-260. Suicide ideation and attempts, from the Present State Examination: Wing, J. K., Cooper, J. E. and Sartorius, N. (1973) <i>The measurement and classification of psychiatric symptoms</i>, London: Cambridge University Press. Anxiety, depression: Zigmond, A. S. and Snaith, R. P. (1993) 'The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale' <i>Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavia</i>, 67, pp.361-370.
Quota sample
Psychological measurements
