Consistency in Suicide Rates in Twenty-Two Developed Countries by Gender Over Time 1874-78, 1974-76, and 1998-2000

This study examined whether the relative levels of suicide rates among 22 developed countries were consistent over time & compared Durkheim’s 11 European countries with their modern counterparts. Data from the World Health Organization by gender were calculated to obtain 3-year averages for the end-points. To determine the consistency of the levels of suicides a series of Spearman Rank Order correlations were calculated for each period. Highly significant correlations were found for men, women, & total suicide rates between 1974-76 & 1998-2000, & for the Durkheim countries for the three review periods. The consistency suggests a certain national “suicide tradition” based on a complex interaction between cultural, sociological, recording/administrative, & genetic factors. (45 refs.)