Socio-Economic Development, Economic Fluctuations, and Age-Specific Suicide: A Cross-National Test of the Durkheim, Henry and Short, and Ginsberg Theories

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study draws on the theories of Durkheim, Henry and Short, and Ginsberg to assess the impact of short-term and long-term socio-economic change on suicide rates of different categories of age and gender. We employ a pooled cross-sectional time-series data set comprised of 17 Western European nations covering a period of over 50 years (1956–2012). Results from fixed-effect variable-parameter time-series regression models reveal that indicators of socio-economic change yield the strongest impact on suicide rates among males, primarily of working age. Nevertheless, crucial differences emerge across the three alternative theoretical models, which we address. We conclude by highlighting the utility of these models for predicting suicide rates across different categories of age and gender.