Determinants of youth suicide: the Easterlin-Holinger cohort hypothesis re-examined

American Journal of Economics and Sociology, The,  April, 1998  by Donald G. Freeman

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Low incomes alone cannot be responsible for high rates of suicide, of course; many lesser developed countries have far lower suicide rates than industrial countries (Girard, 1993). To be poor in a country as prosperous as the United States is, however, almost by definition to be a social outsider.

Low-income families are segregated from the "good life," or the societal norms as depicted in the mass media. Restriction to less desirable neighborhoods (urban and rural), along with ancillary crime and limited access to good schools, convenient shopping and sufficient employment opportunities are common to many lower income families.

The social and developmental effects on children of single-parent families are controversial, to say the least, and well beyond the scope of this paper.(3) To say, however, that children in single-parent homes lack, on average, the economic and social support of their two-parent counterparts would seem to be a reasonable assertion. The socioeconomic consequences of single-parent families to the risk of suicide will be tested empirically.

The Variables

The variables for the analysis are listed in Table 2. Although records on suicide extend back to the beginning of this century,(4) data constraints for independent variables limit the time period covered to 1959-1993. All data are annual.

Table 2. Variable List for Youth Suicide Regressions

Name    Description              Source

SUIC    Suicide rates for ages   National Center for
        15-19                    Health Statistics
                                 Mortality Data Tapes
C1519   Population ages 15-19    U.S. Bureau of the
        as a percent of the      Census, Population
        total U.S. population    Division, U.S.
                                 Population Estimates by
                                 Age, Sex, and Race
PCGDP   Annual Change in Per     U.S. Department of
        Capita Income, 1992      Commerce, Bureau of
        dollars                  Economic Analysis
SING    Percentage of families   Bureau of the Census,
        headed by single         Current Population
        parents                  Reports, Series P-60
CPOV    Change in Annual         Bureau of the Census
        Poverty rate for         CD-ROM, Income and
        families with children   Poverty: 1993
CRU     Change in Annual         U.S. Department of
        Unemployment rate for    Labor, Bureau of Labor
        ages 16-19               Statistics

C1519, the proportion of the 15-19 year age cohort in the population, is a measure of the competition among the cohort for employment, school placement, athletic recognition, and so on. PCGDP, the change in per capita income, is a proxy for living standards. Previous researchers have identified different (and sometimes opposite) effects of increased living standards on suicide rates. Higher average living standards may remove external outlets for blame and increase personal frustrations. Also, having more material wealth means having more to lose, so that personal setbacks may be more severe, especially with respect to peer groups.