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Shunning and family · Claim record

A 2023 online survey of 424 former Witnesses in Austria, Germany and Switzerland (Thoma et al., Mental Health, Religion & Culture) reported that one third had suicidal thoughts and 10% had attempted suicide, with clinically significant symptoms and low quality of life, especially among women and those who left because of abuse.

Claim ID claim-shunning-research-thoma-2023Concerns 9 August 2023Independent finding
Independent finding · 9 August 2023 Supported

A 2023 online survey of 424 former Witnesses in Austria, Germany and Switzerland (Thoma et al., Mental Health, Religion & Culture) reported that one third had suicidal thoughts and 10% had attempted suicide, with clinically significant symptoms and low quality of life, especially among women and those who left because of abuse. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 26(7): 644-662, 9 August 2023

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Peer-reviewed / scholarly Supported

Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 26(7): 644-662, “Characteristics of health and well-being in former Jehovah’s Witnesses in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland”

9 August 2023 · pp.644-662 · Abstract · Myriam V. Thoma; Andreas Goreis; Shauna L. Rohner; Urs M. Nater; Eva Heim; Jan Höltge · Taylor & Francis (open access, CC BY)

“This study assessed a sample of former Jehovah’s Witnesses (N = 424 ... ). Most participants (66%) were born into this faith community. Half the sample left voluntarily, 21% were expelled ... One third reported suicidal thoughts; 10% had attempted suicide.”

Online survey; self-selected sample; no control group. Women and survivors of child maltreatment identified as particularly vulnerable sub-groups.

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Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. Publisher page returned HTTP 403; abstract and bibliographic data taken from the Semantic Scholar API record and verified against Crossref (two independent indexes). Original not opened.

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-thoma-2023-health-former-jws

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