Race and Method of Suicide: Culture and Opportunity

Abstract

The present study assesses the link between choice of violent methods of suicide and race from the standpoint of two perspectives: differential socio-acceptability and differential availability. To the extent that African Amercians form a subculture of violence, and are more exposed to violence, we would expect them to choose violent methods of suicide. Data are from the 1990 mortality detail file of the U.S. Public Health Service and correspond to 19,580 male suicides. The results of a multivariate logistic regression analysis indicate that African Americans are 2.24 times more likely than Caucasians to choose violent methods of suicide. Although they are less likely to own firearms, African Americans are more likely than Caucasians to choose violent methods of suicide.

Key Words:

• African Americans
• firearms
• method
• violence

Acknowledgments

The data used in the current study were made available from the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, University of Michigan. This is a revised version of a paper read at the annual meetings of the American Association of Suicidology, Los Angeles California, April 12–15, 2000. The authors would like to thank Michael Kral and members of the Suicide Research Group at the University of Windsor for preliminary feedback on this project.