Regional and Time-Series Studies of Suicide in Nations of the World

ABSTRACT

This article reviews simple epidemiological data on completed suicide rates in different nations of the world, the results of time-series studies of suicide in nations, and the results of regional correlates of suicide rates within nations. It is argued that it is important to conduct comparable sociological studies in samples of nations so that the general trends and deviations from these trends can be observed and efforts made to explain these phenomena.

Keywords:

• suicide
• cross-cultural studies
• time-series
• ecological studies

Notes

^#The data for Czechoslovakia are for 1981 to 1990 since 1980 data were not published by the World Health Organization.

^#Interpolation used for one year of missing suicide rates.

^##Interpolation used for three years of missing suicide rates.

***p < .001.

**p < .01.

*p < .05.

¹Restricting the predictors to only marriage and birth rates, the sample of nations was increased to 36.

*significant at the .05 level or better.