Suicide Rates in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: Association With Socioeconomic, Cultural, and Agricultural Factors

An ecological study was deisgned to assess associations between age-adjusted suicide rates based on death certificates & socioeoconmic & agricultural factors. Suicide rates in males & females were inversely associated with schooling level & directly associated with divorce/marital separation. Rates for men were higher in areas where traditional Protestant religious were more prevalent, & rates for women were lower in areas with a higher proportion of single-inhabitant households. Multivariates analyses showed no association between increased suicide rates & any of the agricultural variables. (41 refs.)