Correlates Of Suicide Rates Research Articles

Relationship Between Financial Crisis, Suicide and Social Parameters in Greece

Introduction Suicide constitutes one of the major public health problems worldwide. The aim of this study is to examine the possible correlation of suicide rates in Greece with some social indices during the financial crisis. Material and Methods Our study includes all suicide rates recorded in Greece during the time period 2001-2011 (EL.STAT). We assessed the standardized suicide rates (number of suicide cases per 100.000 inhabitants, SSR). We obtained data from EL.STAT. regarding the following social indices: unemployment, population at-risk-of poverty or social exclusion and material deprivation. Results During the period 2001-2011 a total number of 4.133 cases of suicide were recorded. Male suicides were 3.424 (82.8%) and female suicides were 710 (17.2%). The mean SSR for the period study (2001–2011) was 3.37±0.37/100.000 inhabitants. The mean male SSR was 5.64±0.64/100.000 and the mean female SSR was 1.15±0.22/100.000. Our analysis has clearly demonstrated a positive correlation between unemployment and total SSR (r=0.64, p=0.03), as well as between unemployment and male SSR (r=0.68, p=0.02) for the period 2001-2011. During the period of economic crisis (2008-2011) an even positive correlation between unemployment and male SSR was observed (r=0.96, p=0.03). Yet, during the period of economic crisis a positive correlation between population at risk of poverty or social exclusion and total SSR (r=0.96, p=0.03) as well as between material deprivation and male SSR (r=0.99, p=0.01) was revealed. Conclusions The results of this study show that the effect of economic crisis and recession in Greece on social parameters is evident.

Regional and Time-Series Studies of Suicide in Nations of the World

ABSTRACT This article reviews simple epidemiological data on completed suicide rates in different nations of the world, the results of time-series studies of suicide in nations, and the results of regional correlates of suicide rates within nations. It is argued that it is important to conduct comparable sociological studies in samples of nations so that the general trends and deviations from these trends can be observed and efforts made to explain these phenomena.

Suicide rates in Irish counties: 10 years later.

This exploratory study was designed to explore the social correlates of suicides rates of Irish counties. Suicide rates were calculated for Irish counties and subdivisions for the period 1988-1994 and correlated with social data for these regions obtained from the 1991 Census. The suicide rates showed a low level of reliability for the periods 1978-1984 and 1988-1994, and the social correlates of suicide rates changed between the two periods. Whereas age structure was associated with suicide rates in 1978-1984, urbanisation was associated with suicide rates in 1988-1994. It is important to check the reliability of results of ecological studies of Irish suicide rates. Furthermore, the impact on suicide rates of the changing role of women in Ireland needs to be explored in time-series studies of the Irish suicide rate.

Correlates of rates of suicide and homicide committed by different methods.

The social correlates of suicide rates by each method over time in the USA from 1950 to 1985 were very different, suggesting that suicides by different methods may not be sociologically identical behaviors. Homicide rates by each method, however, showed a more consistent pattern of social correlates.

Implications of the Sex Ratio for Suicide and Homicide

In a study of the 48 contiguous states in 1980, states with a higher male:female sex ratio, that is, a relatively higher proportion of men to women, had a higher male suicide rate even after controls for other social correlates of suicide rates.

Correlates of Regional Suicide Rates: A Meta-Analysis

A meta-analysis was conducted of research on the regional correlates of suicide rates within nations. The fourteen studies yielded two reliable associations—a negative association of regional suicide rates with population and a positive association with the death rate. Suggestions were made for future research on this topic.

The Relationship of Suicide Rates to Sociodemographic Factors in Canadian Census Divisions

The correlates of suicide rates were determined by conducting a multivariate study of sociodemographic indicators and suicide rates of 261 Canadian census divisions. Twenty-one sociodemographic variables were entered into a stepwise multiple linear regression to develop a model for suicide rates. The important variables were mortality rate for all causes of death, the age of the population, average family income, population density, proportion with no religious affiliation, proportion of Francophones, unemployment, immigration, proportion of Native people, a regional effect for British Columbia and the north, and growth by mobility, explaining 62% of the observed variation. This spatial ecologic analysis highlights the importance of cultural differences in explaining the variation of suicide rates. The analysis supports the previously found negative relationship between income and suicide while contrasting from previous studies in determining a inverse relationship with unemployment and an inverse relationship with the age distribution.

Rates of personal violence (suicide and homicide), traffic fatalities, and alcohol consumption.

Sivak (1983) collected data on 16 variables for the states of America in 1977 and found in a multiple regression analysis that the homicide rate was a predictor of the traffic fatality rate, along with the proportion of young drivers and the general accident rate. The present study sought to explore the correlates of state suicide rates using his data set. The correlation matrix from Sivak was analyzed by the SPSSX Factor program, PC extraction, with varimax rotation. As reported by Sivak, the homicide rate loaded heavily on the same factor as the traffic fatality rate (loadings 0.72 and 0.79, respectively). In contrast, the suicide rate loaded heavily (0.60) on the factor with high per capita consumption of beer, distilled spirits and wine (0.78, 0.86, 0.85) and also weakly (0.43) on another factor with high proportions of young drivers and low proportions of old drivers (0.63 and -0.76, respectively). It can be seen that correlates of suicide rates were quite different from those of homicide rates. Secondly, while homicide rates were most strongly associated with traffic fatality rates, suicide rates were most strongly associated with alcohol consumption. These results agree with those reported by Lester (1980).