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Abstract
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OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of this research by Maxim and Keane was to examine the relationship between gender, age and four causes of violent death--homicide, suicide, motor vehicle accidents and other accidents. The paper was framed within the notion of risk-taking behavior and convergence theory, which suggest that the gap between males and females in risk-taking behavior should be narrowing, and therefore female death rates from violence increasing, as females become more integrated into the male-dominated society.
METHODOLOGY:
The researchers conducted secondary analysis of statistical data which covered a 36 year period, collected from the Statistics Canada publications on Vital Statistics (Mortality) for the years 1950 to 1986. Data were aggregated into five-year intervals and converted into rates per 100,000 population. Tables of age-specific risk ratios were calculated, as numbers of events were too small to use the traditional life table technique.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
Researchers found that the lifetime risk of mortality due to violence had fluctuated considerably over the three decades under investigation. For both males and females, the risk of homicide had doubled, and suicide had increased 70%. Both of these risks had peaked in the 1970-1974 period for females, with only homicide peaking at that time for males. Traffic deaths also peaked in the 1970s for both males and females, but 1982-1986 rates had returned to a level even lower than that of 1950-1954. Death due to all other accidents had steadily declined over the study period for both males and females, as had overall risk--dropping from 13.8% to 10.6% for males, and 7.9% to 5.3% for females. The gender ratio of homicide risk remained a constant 2:1 over the 30 years; suicide ratios peaked at 4.02 in 1960-1964, then decreased to 3.72, similar to the initial period, by the end of study. Traffic accident ratios had steadily decreased from 3.03 to 2.41 over the 30 years, but other accidents had increased from 1.43 to 1.62. The authors concluded that lifetime risk estimates of violent death lend little support to convergence theory. Age-specific risks of each of the four types of violence were also calculated. Homicide rates increased over time for both males and females in all age groups, although the increase was greatest for infants and those in their late teens and early twenties. For those over 50-55 years of age, risk of homicide tended to converge over the years, especially for females. Risk patterns for suicide were found to be quite different. For males, recent years had seen a substantial increase in suicide among teenagers and those in their twenties, with a peak around 25 years of age. For earlier years, suicide levels had peaked around the age of 65. The trend was quite different for females, with parabolic increases up to age 50-55, and a decrease from then on. For both males and females, the pattern of traffic deaths was identical. The young and the old were at particular risk for motor vehicle accidents, with highest risk being for those between 15 and 30 years of age, and those over the age of 65. Other accidents comprised the majority of recorded violent deaths, and patterns for this category showed a constant risk over the life span, for both males and females, until age 65, when risk of death increased exponentially. The authors concluded that their results showed little support for convergence theory, as there was almost no gender convergence for ratios and rates of death for each violence category. To the contrary, young males seemed to be at higher risk than before for violent death. The authors suggested that this population might be more risk-oriented than in the past, or that females might be more risk-aversive than previously. Differential risk exposure due to social structural conditions was also considered as a reason for the findings. High rates of motor vehicle death in the elderly was thought to be possibly due to an environment and objects within that environment that were not adapted to those with slower reflexes and lesser dexterity. High rates in the young might have been due to higher levels of use of vehicles, or to the financial strains that lead to younger people driving older, less safe vehicles. Position in the social structure, therefore, might lead to differential exposure to potentially lethal situations. The lower rate of suicide for young females was thought to be due to the increase in social integration and social support enjoyed by this population, whereas the weak bonding typically experienced by young males was thought to lead to their higher suicide rates. The authors concluded that the rise of females in the labor force, the increase in egalitarian family structures and the women's movement had not led to a convergence in violent deaths for males and females, as convergence theory would suggest. Rather, both individual and social factors were found to play an etiological role in the various forms of violent death.
EVALUATION:
The authors present an interesting examination of the relationship between gender and age and the risk of violent death since the 1950s. Although at times the report is somewhat confusing, the authors offer interesting explanations of their findings in both individual and social structural terms. A discussion of some possible implications and practical applications of the results would have been helpful, but overall the study forms a good basis for further research in the field. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - Canada
KW - Foreign Countries
KW - Age Factors
KW - Age Differences
KW - Gender Differences
KW - Death Rates
KW - Homicide Rates
KW - Homicide Victim
KW - Victimization Rates
KW - Juvenile Victim
KW - Suicide Rates
KW - Juvenile Suicide
KW - Adult Suicide
KW - Adult Victim
KW - Elder Adult Victim
KW - Victimization Risk Factors
KW - Behavior Effects
KW - Victim Characteristics
KW - Victim Behavior
KW - Juvenile Behavior
KW - Adult Behavior
KW - Risk Taking Behavior |