Citation

Osterman LL, Brown RP. Person. Soc. Psychol. Bull. 2011; 37(12): 1611-1623.

Affiliation

University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0146167211418529

PMID

21844096

Abstract

Cultures of honor facilitate certain forms of interpersonal violence. The authors suggest that these cultures might also promote values and expectations that could heighten suicide risk, such as strict gender-role standards and hypersensitivity to reputational threats, which could lead people living in such cultures to consider death as an option when failure occurs or reputation is threatened sufficiently. Study 1 shows that, controlling for a host of statewide covariates, honor states in the United States have significantly higher male and female suicide rates than do non-honor states, particularly in non-metropolitan areas among Whites. Study 2 shows that statewide levels of antidepressant prescriptions (an indicator of mental health resource utilization) are lower in honor states, whereas levels of major depression are higher, and statewide levels of depression are associated with suicide rates only among honor states. Finally, Study 3 shows that individual endorsement of honor ideology is positively associated with depression.

Language: en