The relationships between gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, life satisfaction, and male-female suicide ratio were analyzed for 25 industrialized countries. GDP per capita was the strongest correlate of male–female suicide ratio even when life satisfaction was controlled using partial correlations. Life satisfaction correlated significantly with GDP per capita but not with suicide rates.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BerkM.DoddS.HenryM. (2006) The effect of macroeconomic variables on suicide. Psychological Medicine, 36, 181–189.
2.
BoniniA. N. (2008) Cross-national variation in individual life satisfaction: Effects of national wealth, human development, and environmental conditions. Social Indicators Research, 87, 223–236.
3.
Koivumaa-HonkanenH.HonkanenR.KoskenvuoM.KaprioJ. (2003) Self-reported happiness in life and suicide in ensuing 20 years. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 38, 244–248.
4.
Koivumaa-HonkanenH.KaprioJ.HonkanenR.ViinamäkiR.KoskenvuoM. (2004) Life satisfaction and depression in a 15-year follow-up of healthy adults. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 39, 994–999.
5.
LesterD. (1990) The sex distribution of suicides by age in nations of the world. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 25, 87–88.
6.
LesterD. (1998) Life satisfaction, suicide, and homicide. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 87, 126.
7.
LesterD.YangB. (1991) Microsocionomics versus macrosocionomics as a model for examining suicide. Psychological Reports, 69, 735–738.
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2008) OECD factbook 2008: Economic, environmental, and social statistics. Washington, DC: Author.
10.
PavotW.DienerE. (2008) The Satisfaction With Life Scale and the emerging construct of life satisfaction. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 3, 137–152.
11.
RehkopfD. H.BukaS. L. (2006) The association between suicide and the socioeconomic characteristics of geographical areas: A systematic review. Psychological Medicine, 36, 145–157.
12.
YangB.LesterD. (2001) Suicide as an indicator of quality of life: Apparent conflict between microeconomic and macroeconomic approaches. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 93, 95–96.
