Interprovincial migration and suicide in Canada, 1971-78.

Abstract

This study corroborates the findings by Stack (1980) on the relationship between interstate migration and suicide. The present application is to Canada during the early and later parts of the 1970s decade. Strong support for a migration effect emerges, thus supporting the culture shock hypothesis that because migration involves the concomitant processes of severing important social ties with the origin, and adjusting to a new environment, Provinces characterized by high rates of migration will experience high rates of suicide. It is found that while a province's percentage of the population who have received university education is negatively related to suicide, the main effect of migration acts to raise the odds of suicide, but this effect is lower in magnitude than the education measure. A one percent gain in the education index would have served to lower the suicide rate by 1.3%, while a similar change in migration would increase the rate of suicide by .67%.