TY - JOUR
T1 - Between compassion and condemnation: a qualitative study of clergy views on suicide in Northern Ireland
AU - Leavey, Gerard
AU - Rondon-Sulbaran, Janeet
AU - McBride, Peter
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - The suicide rate in Northern Ireland, particularly among young men has grown rapidly in recent years. A relatively religious society, compared to other UK European regions, a needs assessment of clergy's pastoral response to mental illness and suicide was undertaken as part of the suicide prevention strategy. We carried out in-depth interviews with 37 clergy from a range of Christian denominations. While a compassionate response to suicide by clergy was commonly advocated, made permissible by an attribution to mental illness, there remain some misgivings about a "softer" theological stance towards suicide. This article describes clergy explanatory models of suicide and discusses the issue of cognitive dissonance on this subject. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.
AB - The suicide rate in Northern Ireland, particularly among young men has grown rapidly in recent years. A relatively religious society, compared to other UK European regions, a needs assessment of clergy's pastoral response to mental illness and suicide was undertaken as part of the suicide prevention strategy. We carried out in-depth interviews with 37 clergy from a range of Christian denominations. While a compassionate response to suicide by clergy was commonly advocated, made permissible by an attribution to mental illness, there remain some misgivings about a "softer" theological stance towards suicide. This article describes clergy explanatory models of suicide and discusses the issue of cognitive dissonance on this subject. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.
KW - suicide
KW - religion
KW - pastoral care
KW - mental illness
KW - clergy
KW - suicide prevention
UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79551698953&origin=inward
U2 - 10.1080/13674676.2010.502523
DO - 10.1080/13674676.2010.502523
M3 - Article
SN - 1469-9737
VL - 14
SP - 65
EP - 74
JO - Mental Health, Religion and Culture
JF - Mental Health, Religion and Culture
IS - 1
ER -