Citation

Cutright P, Fernquist RM. Arch. Suicide Res. 2003; 7(4): 323-339.

Affiliation

Department of Sociology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Department of Sociology and Social Work, Missouri Central State University, Warrensburg, Missouri, USA

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, International Academy of Suicide Research, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/713848943

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Although analysis of the gender difference in suicide rates has traditionally examined the ratio of male to female rates, we analyze the difference between the male and female suicide rates. We examine variation in this measure of gender gap in suicide rates in 20 developed countries from 1955 through 1994. We examine a Durkheimian societal integration model along with data measuring the cultural disapproval of suicide. Regression models for the entire 1955-1994 period explained 62 percent of the variation in the gender gap, while R sq for 1955-1974 and 1975-1994 separately was .81 and .86, respectively. Further analysis failed to find the pattern between the 1955-1974 and 1975-1994 periods as predicted by the "institutional adjustment" hypothesis.