The Association of Suicide Rates with Individual-Level Suicide Attitudes: A Cross-National Analysis

Research on the predictors of individual-level attitudes toward suicide has neglected the possible role of contextual-level predictors. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by assessing the association between suicide rates and the attitudes of individuals. Based on social learning theory, it is argued that persons socialized in nations with relatively high rates of suicide are more likely to be exposed to suicidal role models, which provide positive definitions of suicide. Copyright (c) 2008 by the Southwestern Social Science Association.