Social Psychological vs Socioeconomic Hypotheses on the Epidemiology of Suicide: An Empirical Study

Abstract

In a recent analysis of the suicide statistics of two areas of Stockholm of contrasting demographic and socioeconomic status, we found the suicide rate higher in the low-income area. In the present study, the suicide rate of the richest and poorest counties of Sweden were compared to test whether the negative correlation previously found locally between average income in the county and incidence of suicide, also exists in a nationwide extrapolation. The poorest county of Sweden, Berg, manifested an increased suicide rate of 46.2 per 100,000 population [Ratio observed/expected (O/E) 2.3], whereas the richest, Danderyd, had a rate four times lower (10.8; Ratio O/E, 0.5), being also lower than the Swedish mean suicide rare of 17.2. The findings do not support the socioeconomic hypothesis on incidence of suicide, according to which an increased suicide rate is expected to be observed in demographic units with increased income or economic output.