Suicide and homicide at Easter.

Abstract

Lester ( 1979) reporced that suicides were generally less common and homicides more common on the major national holidays, and Lester (1987) calculated exact suicide and homicide rates for each holidzy for 1772-1977. In the present paper I examined suicide and homicide at Easter for the same time period, 1772-1979. The number of suicides and homicides for each day of the year are found in the annual volume, Vital Statistics of the United Starer (National Center for Health Statistics, 1976-1984). Compared to similar days one week before and one week after the Easter holiday, the number of suicides on Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday did not differ significantly ( x i 2 = 0.73, 0.17, 2.22, and 1.51, respectively). The suicide rates per 100 million per day for these holidays were 33, 34, 31, and 36, respectively relative to mean of 34 per average day of the year. There were significantly more homicides on Good Friday, not significantly more on Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday, but significantly more on Easter Monday ( x , ~ = 5.52, 3.21, 1.01, and 4.58, respectively). The homicide rates per 100 million per day for these holidays mere 29, 34, 31, and 24, respectively, relative to the mean of 26 per average day of the year. It appears then that suicides are not more or less common over Easter, while homicides tend to be more common. These results are reasonably consistent with those reported by Lescer (1987) for the six major nonreligious holidays of the year for which homicide rates were higher and suicide rates lower.