Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Increasing Incidence Of Suicide: Economic Development, Individualism, And Social Integration, Gregory Scott, Joseph Ciarrochi, Frank Deane

joseph Ciarrochi

Despite significant improvement in physical health, suicide continues to represent a significant burden in the economically advanced countries. Given that the causes of suicide are not fully known, and that suicide cannot be predicted nor prevented at the individual level, national suicide rates might best be reduced by reducing the overall number of people exposed to suicide risk factors. However, economic development promotes individualism and low social integration, both of which increase suicide risk. For example, high female labor force participation and divorce, indicative of low social integration, are associated with higher suicide rates. Similarly, there appear to be social …