International Journal of Social Psychiatry
Volume 32, Issue 2, 1986, Pages 38-46

A time series analysis of international immigration and suicide mortality in Canada (Article)

Trovato F.*
  • a Department of Sociology The University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Abstract

A neglected topic concerning suicide as a sociological phenomenon is the relationship be tween international immigration and suicide mortality. This study examines the association between these variables using time series data for the period 1950 to 1982 in Canada. The central hypothesis, derived from the Durkheimian theory of social integration and suicide, is that the higher the immigration rate, the higher the rate of suicide. Two statistical controls, the unemployment rate and age composition, drawn from the “economic anomie” and “social demographic” perspectives respectively were introduced into a multiple regression model involving immigration and suicide. While some of the results in the initial stages of the analysis appear to contradict the established literature concerning the relevance of immigration and unemployemnt in predicting suicide, more refined breakdowns which allow for the separate investigation of male and female suicide propensities, generally support the social integration and economic anomie theories. It is concluded that the 15-34 male cohort is highly sensitive to changes in their economic prospects and in their immigration experience and therefore, have higher suicide rates than women in the same age group. © 1986, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

central nervous system unemployment risk Social Identification sex difference human social aspect sociology Adolescent male Canada Anomie female clinical article fatality adult migration Sex Factors Age Factors Emigration and Immigration employment sex Suicide

Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0022548253&doi=10.1177%2f002076408603200205&partnerID=40&md5=6146a704896aad1668642207de9f6b9e

DOI: 10.1177/002076408603200205
ISSN: 00207640
Cited by: 17
Original Language: English