National anthems and suicide rates

In a sample of 18 European nations, suicide rates were positively associated with the proportion of low notes in the national anthems and, albeit less strongly, with students' ratings of how gloomy and how sad the anthems sounded, supporting a hypothesis proposed by Rihmer.     

Lyrics of national anthems and suicide rates

The suicide rates of 18 European nations were associated with the proportion of sad words in the lyrics of their national anthems as well as the gloominess of the music. It is suggested that a possible suicide prevention tactic might involve changing the music and lyrics of national anthems.     

National character and rates of suicide and homicide

Hofstede's personality scores for workers in 50 nations were not associated with national homicide rates in 1980. Suicide rates were, however, negatively associated with power-distance scores.     

Age-adjusted rates of suicide and homicide and fluoride

Using state data from 1992 and 2000 instead of 1975, the author both confirmed and extended Lester's 1987 study. Like Lester's study, the present replication showed for 1992 (but not 2000) that the more people drinking fluoridated water, the lower the rates of crude and age-adjusted suicide (partial rs: -.25 and -.25, respectively). Crude and age-adjusted rates of homicide in 1992 and 2000 did not change with the fluoridation of public water. Effective interpretation requires more study.     

Suicide attacks in Israel and suicide rates

In Israel from 1983 to 1999, the frequency and lethality of suicide attacks was negatively associated with the suicide rate.     

Association of suicide rates of elderly persons with fertility rates

A negative correlation between societal suicide rates and social integration has been reported, but rarely specifically examined for suicide rates of the elderly although suicide rates of elderly persons are among the highest. The associations of suicide rates of elderly persons and fertility rates for 81 countries were examined using data from the World Health Organisation and United Nations. Fertility rates were considered a proxy measure for social integration. Multiple regression analysis indicated that suicide rates for males and females in the age bands 65-74 years and 75+ years were independently (negative) correlated with fertility rates. Fertility rates, as a measure of social integration, may interact with, modify and mediate the effect of cultural factors on suicide rates of elderly persons.     

Association of national cancer mortality and suicide rates

Using WHO data from 1996 instead of 1990, the authors replicated and extended Knodrichin and Lester's 2001 study. Like their study, our total rates of cancer mortality and suicide in a similar sample of 37 European nations of the world were estimated to be positively associated.     

Nations' rated individualism and suicide and homicide rates

Individualism ratings for 27 nations were not associated with suicide or homicide rates after controls for per capita gross domestic product.     

National estimates of IQ and suicide and homicide rates

Nations with high estimated mean IQ scores had higher suicide rates and lower homicide rates after control for gross domestic product was introduced, significantly in 1970 but not in 1980.     

Development, gender equality, and suicide rates

A component of the United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index which measures longevity was negatively associated -.55 with suicide rates in 37 nations for men; the correlation with the suicide sex ratio was also negative (r = -.59). Women's access to social, political, and economic power in a subsample of 26 nations, summarized in the UNDP's Gender Empowerment Measure, was positively correlated with suicide rates (r = .36 for both women and men). UNDP measures of attainment in literacy and income showed no individual relationship with suicide rates. In a multiple regression model, life expectancy was negatively related, and the Gender-related Development index was positively related, to suicide rates.     

Association of suicide rates for elderly age bands with gender equality

A lower sex ratio (male to female) of elderly suicide rates in several Asian countries have been attributed to gender inequality on several parameters. The association of two proxy measures of gender equality (value of the gender empowerment measure and the gender-related development index) and the male to female sex ratio of suicide rates in the age bands 65-74 yr. and 75+ yr. was examined using multiple linear regression. The two proxy measures of gender equality did not account for significant variance in the male to female sex ratio of suicide rates in the age bands 65-74 yr. and 75+ yr. Association of gender equality with the male to female sex ratio of suicide rates requires further clarification in both cross-sectional studies across different countries and longitudinal studies within individual countries for all age bands. Such studies should, in addition to the GEM and the GDI, include other measures of gender equality including sex differences in educational attainment, income, poverty, housing, employment, access to healthcare and social welfare services, and urbanisation.     

The Finno-Ugrian suicide hypothesis: variation in European suicide rates by latitude and longitude

The marked variation regarding the suicide rate in 34 European countries is well described by regressing the national suicide rate on the capital cities' latitudes and on an interaction term of squared latitude multiplied with longitude. The interaction term explains 40.8% and 29.1% of men's and women's suicide rate, respectively, and latitude explains a further significant increment of 10.9% and 10.6% variance of men's and women's suicide rate, respectively. This regression model quantifies the Finno-Ugrian suicide hypothesis of Kondrichin and of Marusic and Farmer. The European countries highest in suicide rate constitute a contiguous, J-shaped belt, spanning from Finland to Austria. This area maps onto the second principal component identified for European gene distribution, representing ancestral adaptation to cold climates and the Uralic language dispersion. Thus, population differences in genetic risk factors may account for the spatial pattern in European suicide rates.     

Predicting European suicide rates with physiological indices

In a sample of 17 European nations, the prevalence of the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii and the percentage of Finno-Ugrians in the populations were significantly associated with national suicide rates for men and women.     

Educational attainment and suicide rates in the United States

We examined the relationship between educational attainment and suicide rate in the United States for 2001. Suicide rates, adjusted for age, were compared with percentage of college graduates, median household income, and poverty in 50 states in 2001. The correlations of suicide rates with educational attainment and median household income were both negative and statistically significant. Poverty was not significantly related to suicide rates. We concluded that higher education and income were associated with a decrease in suicide rates in 2001. Data from other years require examination for this conclusion to be generalizable.     

State IQ and suicide rates in the United States

Previous findings pertaining to the direction (positive or negative) of the ecological correlation between intelligence and suicide rates in the USA have been conflicting. Using novel state IQ estimates, derived from the Scholastic Assessment Test, the American College Test, these tests combined, or the National Assessment of Educational Progress state scores, these estimates were not consistently associated to state suicide rates. Whereas ACT-derived state IQ was significantly positively correlated with suicide rates, the correlation with composite ACT-SAT-derived state IQ was significantly negative and with both SAT-derived and NAEP-derived state IQ also negative but not significant. Validity checks pointed to possible methodological problems with the state IQ estimates. Currently available estimates of state IQ, therefore, seem not appropriate to resolve the question of the direction of the ecological correlation of intelligence and suicide mortality across the USA.     

Suicidality in primary health care and national suicide rates

The incidence of suicidal symptoms for primary health care patients did not predict national suicide rates in a sample of 10 nations.     

National differences in intelligence and population rates of suicidal ideation, suicide plans, and attempted suicide

Population rates of suicidal ideation, suicide plans or attempted suicide from three independent multinational epidemiological surveys (the WHO/EURO and WHO SUPRE-MISS studies and a third one) were not significantly associated with national IQ figures. This result conflicts with previous evidence from cross-national studies (by Lester and by Voracek) of a positive ecological correlation between level of national intelligence and rates of completed suicide. Across nations, the indicators for the prevalence of suicidal behavior also lacked close correspondence with suicide rates, which may be due to the higher unreliability of assessing covert suicidal behavior (suicide ideas, thoughts, plans, and, to a lesser extent, also suicide attempts) as compared to suicidal behavior that is indisputably overt (completed suicide). Several alternative explanations for the current nil findings are also discussed.