A Cross-National Study of Suicide and Homicide

An investigation of aspects of suicidal and homicidal behavior in a sample of eighteen nations identified three basic factors: the suicide rate, the homicide rate, and the male/female suicide rate ratio. A number of social, economic, and climate variables were examined for their association with these factors. The suicide rate was associated with the number of psychiatric patients and the birth rate. The homicide rate was associated with per capita income, cigarette consumption, and climate. The malel/fe-male suicide rate ratio was associated wit h the number of psychiatric patients, climate, and the proportion of elderly in the population. The implications of the results are discussed. [Accepted for publication: June 1974.] A large number of cross-cultural studies of correlates of the suicide and homicide rates of nations have appeared in recent years. Each study has used a different sample of nations, and each study has explored only a few of the potential variables. Thus, it is difficult to compare the separate studies. The purpose of the present study was to take a single sample of nations and to explore the associations of a large number of variables for their association with suicidal and homicidal behavior. A number of suicide and homicide measures were used. The total suicide and homicide rates were employed, and, in addition, the rates for males, females, and each age group. The ratio of the male to female rates was included, since the sex difference in these behaviors is of interest. Field (1963) has suggested that measures of a nation’s total aggressiveness could be ascertained by converting the suicid