Alcohol and Suicide, Jews and Protestants, 1999-2000

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.