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Abstract
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It is probable that both inherited and experiential factors play a role in the determination of suicidal behavior. There is good evidence for the role of experiential factors (McConaghy, et al., 1966) but little evidence for the role of inheritance (Lester, 1968).
Thus, it is of interest to explore a suggestion of Uematsu (1961) for demonstrating the role of inheritance. If inherited factors determine the occurrence of suicide, of a group of people born in a given year, a number determined by these inherited factors should complete suicide. If this group has a high suicide rate at one time its existence, then it should have a low rate at other times since the number of potential suicides is limited.
Uematsu tested the suggestion by correlating the suicide rate of subgroups of the Japanese population at different times in their lives and found that, in general, there was a negative correlation. For example, if a subgroup had a low suicide rate when aged 20-25 then it was likely to have a high suicide rate when aged 40-45 and vice versa. The present paper tested these ideas using the population of the United States.
Several limitations were placed on the data. To minimize the effects of migration the whole country was used. (The effects of emigration and immigration could not be controlled.) Since statistics prior to 1935 are not based on the complete population but only on the "registration states", data prior to 1935 were not used. Since the period 1935-1965 includes the Second World War which removed males from the population and allowed them to be killed in war rather than realizing their suicidal potential (or allowed them to suicide without the action being so classified), the hypothesis is best tested on females. Finally, since the non-white suicide rate is low (and so variable and unreliable) the hypothesis is best tested on white females.
The suicide rates for all four race-by-sex groups for the years 1935, 1940, 1945, 1950, 1955, 1960, and 1965 were obtained from the United States Bureau of the Census...
Language: en |