And (as you will see in the story below) every so often, Mormon crickets enter a swarming phase in which millions of individual insects march across a given area, sometimes staying for years.
What 18 years of research tells us about the mental health of Latter-day Saints
Unreliable data produced by poor research and reliable data that is poorly interpreted can both create phantoms that distract us from better understanding “things as they really are.”
For instance, mental health statistics about Utah are often used as proxy for statistics about Latter-day Saints. This is unfortunate, given the mental health of the citizens of Utah appears to have far more to do with region than religion, according to W. Justin Dyer, professor of religion and family at Brigham Young University, and his coauthors, Daniel K Judd, Megan Gale and Hunter Gibson Finlinson.
To understand the state of mental health among Latter-day Saints, the authors argue, research on Latter-day Saints is required.
Here are some key findings from the authors' recent study of the last 18 years of research on Latter-day Saint mental health:
Depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts: Studies typically find Latter-day Saints lower in depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts when compared to other religious groups and those of no religion. It appears one reason Latter-day Saint youth are less likely to experience suicidal thoughts and depression is because of their (on average) stronger family connections and less substance use.
Body esteem: Perhaps a surprise to many, four different studies reported that Latter-day Saints have better body image (body esteem) and fewer eating disorders than the other religious groups with whom they were compared. And the more connected Latter-day Saints are with their religious beliefs and practices, the better their attitudes about their bodies.
LGBTQ Latter-day Saints: Research findings show that Latter-day Saints who identify as LGBTQ, on average, have just as good and typically better mental health than LGBTQ individuals of other religious traditions or those who describe themselves as not believing in God. However, this research initiative is just beginning and there is much to disentangle, the authors say.
Read more about how to understand data on Latter-day Saint mental health and what assumptions to avoid.
At the first debate for Republicans running for Utah's 2nd Congressional District, the candidates ranged from Greg Hughes, former speaker of the Utah House, who said he’s running because he’s afraid for the future of the country, to former state lawmaker and U.S. Senate candidate Becky Edwards, who said she was optimistic about the future.
The debate was hosted by the state party, and was moderated by party Chairman Rob Axson and TV news anchor Glen Mills. The remarkably quiet audience of a couple of hundred voters — they almost never clapped or heckled — attended the debate in the Woods Cross High School auditorium, and the debate could also be viewed online.
The Republican convention will be held this Saturday at Delta High School. Delegates from the district will have the opportunity to choose one candidate to represent them in the Sept. 5 primary election. Candidates can also gather 7,000 signatures by July 5 to get on the ballot.
Read more about where the 11 candidates stand on the issues, including whether they would support former president Donald Trump were he to be the Republican nominee in 2024.
More in Politics
Rep. Chris Stewart endorses Celeste Maloy to replace him (Deseret News)
What Trump said during his first Fox News interview since he was indicted (Deseret News)
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Faith
First Presidency announces dedication, open house dates for Orem Utah Temple and closure date for Provo Utah Temple (Church News)
Bishops begin process that could ban gender care in Catholic hospitals (Religion News Service)
Family and Health
What happens to dating and family if young adults move further apart politically? (Deseret News)
Brooklyn Hughes Roemer: Is wellness culture dangerous? (Deseret News)
Tech and Entertainment
Jay Evensen: How to avoid the AI apocalypse (Deseret News)
‘Elemental’ is ‘among the lowest debuts for a Pixar movie’ — but receives positive critic reviews (Deseret News)
Salt Lake and Utah Counties
Salt Lake airport announces 12 new concessions coming in fall 2024, including five local brands (Deseret News)
Report ranks Provo fifth-best run city in U.S. (Fox 13)
Northern Utah
Bible will circulate in Davis District school libraries K-12 (Deseret News)
Brrr! It’s nearly summer, but it doesn’t feel like it in northern Utah (Deseret News)
Central and Southern Utah
New dinosaur species found in Utah helps researchers piece together Earth's history (KSL)
Judge sides with drag performers who sued St. George over permit denial (Deseret News)
The West
Utah files federal lawsuit over ‘egregious power grab’ on ozone rule (Deseret News)
Mormon crickets plague parts of Nevada and Idaho: "It just makes your skin crawl" (CBS)
The Nation
Hunter Biden pleads guilty to tax charges, reaches deal on firearm charge (Deseret News)
New report: charitable giving declined in 2022 (Deseret News)
The World
Takeaways from the Blinken and Xi meeting (Deseret News)
IOC: Police raid on Paris Olympic organizers ‘very tense’ and ‘very difficult’ (Deseret News)
Sports
A prominent SEC figure predicts Pac-12’s demise isn’t far away (Deseret News)
Jazz rebuild should take more concrete shape after Thursday’s NBA draft (Deseret News)
Utah Jazz to air games on KJZZ and new streaming platform (Deseret News)
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