Citation

Marusíc A, Khan M, Farmer A. Eur. J. Psychiatry 2002; 16(2): 103-107.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Departmento de Psiquiatria de la Facultad de Medicina de Zaragoza)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The main aim of the study was to investigate whether literacy rates and gross domestic products interact in predicting national suicide rates in 33 European countries where data for all these rates are available. It resulted that high literacy rates significantly predicted high suicide rates even when controlling for gross domestic product (GDP) and age distribution (r = 0.584; p < 0.001). When the GDP per capita was added to the linear regression model, the latter improved considerably (F = 10.801; p < 0.001). We concluded that literacy rates may represent an important ecological risk factor for completed suicides. One potential mechanism for negative impact of high literacy rates could be that high literacy leads to a better understanding of impoverished social circumstances. It is also possible that literacy is just a confounding variable. For example, suicide statistics might be more reliable in countries with higher levels of literacy. Nevertheless, the striking finding that literacy and suicide rates are associated is worthy of further investigation.

Language: en

Keywords

article; demography; disease association; ecology; Epidemiology; Europe; geographic distribution; Gross domestic product; human; linear regression analysis; Literacy rates; major clinical study; poverty; prediction; reading; reliability; risk factor; social behavior; socioeconomics; statistical analysis; statistical significance; suicidal behavior; Suicide