Attitudinal and Structural Predictors of the Gender gap in Suicide: an Exploratory Analysis of Nine European Countries, 1975-1987

Following Hagan et al (1985, 1987) & Girard (1993), the authors introduce a measure of egalitarian political attitudes that reflect gender differences in socialization that may affect adult suicidal behaviour. Past efforts to explain national differences in the gender gap in suicide rates have not determined how the different determinants of male & female suicide rates cause the gender gap to vary among nations. A methodology is presented that allows one to measure, one at a time, the impact of multiple predictors of societal integration on the gender gap. Data from nine European countries are used to illustrate this methodology. (42 refs.)