The Relationship Between General Population Suicide Rates and Educational Attainment: a Cross-National Study

A cross-national study examining the relationship between general population suicide rates & educational attainment was undertaken. The hypothesis was that the relationship would be curvilinear & follow a U-shaped curve. Data on suicide rates & the Education Index were obtained from the World Health Organization & the United Nations’ websites, respectively. The main finding was the predicted curvilinear relationship between general population suicide rates, in both genders, & the Education Index fit the quadratic equation. Given the cross-sectional study design, a causal relationship cannot be assumed. (43 refs.)