NCJ Number
115669
Journal
Social Forces Volume: 67 Issue: 1 Dated: (September 1988) Pages: 129-145
Date Published
1988
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This article examines temporal fluctuations in suicide and possible underlying dynamics.
Abstract
Among generalizations reported by researchers is that suicide is most frequent in the spring months and least frequent during the winter. A second peak occurs in the fall, but primarily among women. Suicide appears to peak on Mondays and decline on the weekends. The suicide rate is typically lower than normal on major holidays, but tends to be higher than normal on New Year's Day. Suicide is most common near the beginning of the month and least common near the end. Finally, it is not unusual for the despondent individual to commit suicide following a noticeable improvement in mood. Many of the variables which appear to influence suicide may be analytically distinguished into three major types. First are those conditions or events which induce psychological misery and make the prospect of death easier to bear than that of life. Examples might include failure in role performance, loss of a cherished relationship, or physical pain or disability. Second, are those factors that provide insulation from suicide by supplying the individual with social and ideological attachments to life. These variables represent a kind of immune system that sustains individuals against negative forces that may make living more difficult than dying. Examples include stable marriages and homes, membership in cohesive groups, a sense of community, and commitment to collective norms and values. Whether one becomes suicidal is a function of the relative strength of these negative and positive forces. The third type of variables includes precipitators, such as drug or alcohol use, imitation effects, or the broken promise effect associated with an elevated sense of expectancy. 4 figures, 11 notes, and 29 references.