The Social Nature of Male Suicide: A New Analytic Model

Authors

Daniel Coleman, Portland State UniversityFollow
John T. Casey

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Fall 2011

Subjects

Suicide -- Risk factors, Unemployment -- Psychological aspects, Suicide -- Prevention -- Mathematical models

Abstract

Suicide is one of the leading causes of male mortality. In nearly every country in the world, more males than females end their life by suicide. Previous research indicates male-specific risk factors include social factors such as being unmarried, low income, and unemployment. An analytic model of male suicide is developed, proposing that the traditional male gender role creates a culturally-conditioned narrowing of perceived options and cognitive rigidity when under stress that increases male suicide risk. Suicide prevention and intervention require recognition of the role of high traditional masculinity, situating individual explanations within a broader social context. Based on this theory and the few existing empirical studies, testable hypotheses are proposed.

Description

Published by The Men's Studies Press; received permission to post articles from this journal - publisher's PDF version, with 12 month embargo.

DOI

10.3149/jmh.1003.240

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/9810

Citation Details

Coleman, D., Kaplan, M. S., & Casey, J. T. (2011). The Social Nature of Male Suicide: A New Analytic Model. International Journal Of Men's Health, 10(3), 240-252. doi:10.3149/jmh.1003.240