PsychologicalReports, 1992, 71, 154. O Psychological Reports 1992
SOCIAL CORRELATES O F OPPORTUNITY-BASED SUICIDE RATES ' DAVID LESTER Richard Stockion State College Summary.-Suicide rates from car exhaust based both per opporrunity and per capita were observed to have similar social correlates over the 48 continental states of the USA in 1980.
Lester (1988a) suggested basing suicide rates, not on the population, but on the number of lethal implements available. For example, deaths by car exhaust could be calculated per car rather than per capita of the population. To explore social correlates of opportunity-based suicide rates, the suicide rates by car exhaust per car and per capita were calculated for each continental state of the USA for 1980, using data from Lester and Frank (1989). Data on 16 social variables for the states in 1980 previously studied for their association with state suicide rates were obtained from Lester (1988b). Suicide rates by car exhaust per car were associated positively with median family income, married women working part-time, latitude, and alcohol consumption (Pearson rs = 0.55, 0.77, 0.55, and 0.48, respectively) and negatively with percent black residents, church attendance, married women working full time, and southernness (rs = -0.51, -0.47, -0.52, and -0.66). These correlates were identical to those found for suicide rates by car exhaust per capita. (Divorce, interstate migration, percent urban, unemployment rate, percent elderly, females in labor force, population, population density, and longitude were not significantly associated with either set of rates.) It appears that the opportunity-based suicide rates, which are perhaps more meaningful for testing some hypotheses about suicide, may prove useful in research. REFERENCES LESTER,D. Opportunity-based suicide rates. Prychological Reporb, 1988, 63, 984. (a) LESTER,D. A regional analysis of suicide and homicide rates in the USA. Social Psychiatry 6 Psychiatric Epidemiology, 1988, 23, 202-205. (b) LESTER,D., & FRANK,M. The use of motor vehicle exhaust for suicide and the availability of cars. Acta Prychiatrica Scandinavica, 1989, 79, 238-240. Accepted lune 8, 1992.
'Address inquiries to D. Lester, Ph.D., Psychology Program, Richard Stockton State College, Pomona, N 08240. Data are on file in Document NAPS-04945. Remit $7.75 for photocopy or $4.00 for iche to National Auxiliary Publications Service, c/o Microfiche Publications, POB 3513, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163.
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SOCIAL CORRELATES O F OPPORTUNITY-BASED SUICIDE RATES ' DAVID LESTER Richard Stockion State College Summary.-Suicide rates from car exhaust based both per opporrunity and per capita were observed to have similar social correlates over the 48 continental states of the USA in 1980.
Lester (1988a) suggested basing suicide rates, not on the population, but on the number of lethal implements available. For example, deaths by car exhaust could be calculated per car rather than per capita of the population. To explore social correlates of opportunity-based suicide rates, the suicide rates by car exhaust per car and per capita were calculated for each continental state of the USA for 1980, using data from Lester and Frank (1989). Data on 16 social variables for the states in 1980 previously studied for their association with state suicide rates were obtained from Lester (1988b). Suicide rates by car exhaust per car were associated positively with median family income, married women working part-time, latitude, and alcohol consumption (Pearson rs = 0.55, 0.77, 0.55, and 0.48, respectively) and negatively with percent black residents, church attendance, married women working full time, and southernness (rs = -0.51, -0.47, -0.52, and -0.66). These correlates were identical to those found for suicide rates by car exhaust per capita. (Divorce, interstate migration, percent urban, unemployment rate, percent elderly, females in labor force, population, population density, and longitude were not significantly associated with either set of rates.) It appears that the opportunity-based suicide rates, which are perhaps more meaningful for testing some hypotheses about suicide, may prove useful in research. REFERENCES LESTER,D. Opportunity-based suicide rates. Prychological Reporb, 1988, 63, 984. (a) LESTER,D. A regional analysis of suicide and homicide rates in the USA. Social Psychiatry 6 Psychiatric Epidemiology, 1988, 23, 202-205. (b) LESTER,D., & FRANK,M. The use of motor vehicle exhaust for suicide and the availability of cars. Acta Prychiatrica Scandinavica, 1989, 79, 238-240. Accepted lune 8, 1992.
'Address inquiries to D. Lester, Ph.D., Psychology Program, Richard Stockton State College, Pomona, N 08240. Data are on file in Document NAPS-04945. Remit $7.75 for photocopy or $4.00 for iche to National Auxiliary Publications Service, c/o Microfiche Publications, POB 3513, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163.
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