Life Span Perspectives of Suicide pp 187-213 | Cite as
Social Correlates of Suicide by Age
Media Impacts
Chapter
Abstract
Sociological work on suicide has often neglected age-specific analysis. Although there has been a good deal of work on teenage suicide and some work on suicide among the elderly, people in midlife have been especially neglected (Stack, 1982, 1987b). The present study first discusses social correlates of suicide by broad age groups: young, middle-aged, and old. The shared-life circumstances of each group are used to predict age-group propensities to imitate suicide. A statistical model is then tested linking publicized suicide stories with age-specific suicide rates.
Keywords
Suicidal Behavior Suicide Rate American Sociological Review Divorce Rate News Story
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