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IJE Advance Access originally published online on April 25, 2005
International Journal of Epidemiology 2005 34(4):837-845; doi:10.1093/ije/dyi079
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Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association © The Author 2005; all rights reserved.

Article

Correlating homicide and suicide

Corey B Bills1 and Guohua Li1,2,*

1 Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
2 Center for Injury Research and Policy, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

* Corresponding author. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, 1830 East Monument Street, Suite 6-100, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. E-mail: ghli{at}jhmi.edu

Background The relationship between homicide and suicide has been studied extensively, but with conflicting results. The primary objective of this study was to examine the correlation between homicide and suicide rates in a large cross-sectional sample of UN member states.

Methods The study used age-standardized data on homicide and suicide for 65 international locales compiled by the World Health Organization. Weighted correlation coefficients between homicide and suicide rates were computed by sex, income level, and geographic region.

Results The overall correlation between homicide and suicide rates was weak and statistically insignificant ({rho} = –0.08, P = 0.5178). However, when analysed by geographic region the data revealed two distinct patterns: homicide and suicide rates were positively correlated in European countries ({rho} = 0.89, P < 0.0001), but negatively correlated in the Asia Pacific Region ({rho} = –0.97, P < 0.0001), and the Americas ({rho} = –0.62, P < 0.005).

Conclusions The strength and direction of the relationship between homicide and suicide vary significantly with geographic region. The divergent geographic patterns in the relationship between homicide and suicide might be due to regional differences in social and cultural variables.

Keywords Violence, homicide, suicide, sociology, criminology, social theory

Accepted 11 March 2005


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