Research of international suicide

Twenty two variables of social, economic, geographic and psychological significance, including suicide rate, were factor analysed for forty world nations. Five factors achieved eigenvalues of 1.00 or more, which were the Modern Technological State (France, Germany, Sweden), the Affluent State (the U.S.A.), the City-State (Israel, Singapore), the Horizontal Society (Chile, Guatamala), and the Developing Nation (Guyana, Costa Rica). A high national suicide rate was found to be significantly related to the Modern Technological State (P less than .001), and a low national suicide rate was found to be significantly associated with the Horizontal Nation (P less than .05). Results were interpreted in view of frustration theory and Durkheim's theory of suicide.