Among many public health problems, suicide is a major cause of death in the United States. It is important to understand the underlying implications of the issue since its scale shows no sign of improvement. Suicide is widespread in the American population, which means that it has no single connection to one’s socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, age, or gender. However, there are certain trends and tendencies in the occurrence rate which require an in-depth analysis. Suicide is more likely to impact males, the elderly, Native Americans, non-Hispanic Whites, and rural communities due to the unavailability of suicide prevention support, socioeconomic conditions, and sociocultural reasons.
Comparison of Suicide Completion
Compare suicide completion rates as a function of age, sex, and race.
It is important to note that when assessing suicide, there is a distinction between suicide attempts and suicide completion. The given comparative analysis will focus on completed suicides and subsequent deaths as a prime interest. In the case of suicide growth, the rate of occurrence indiscriminately increased across all categorization groups. It is stated that “suicide rates increased across the three urbanization levels, with higher rates in nonmetropolitan/rural counties than in medium/small or large metropolitan counties” (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2017, p. 1). In other words, rural or non-urban regions were the most vulnerable to suicide. Therefore, the function of the locational factor plays a critical role in the correlational nature of the problem.
When it comes to the gender categorization framework, it should be noted that males are at a higher risk of death than females. It is reported that “across urbanization levels, suicide rates were consistently highest for men and non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Natives compared with rates for women and other racial/ethnic groups” (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2017, p. 1). Thus, despite women being at a higher rate of attempting suicide, the completion is more likely to occur among men (Nystedt et al., 2019). In addition, it is evident that Native Americans can be considered a high-risk ethnic group compared to other ones. The given trend is common across the entirety of the United States.
Moreover, it should be noted that metropolitan areas have a different highly vulnerable group to suicide completion. It is stated that “rates were highest for non-Hispanic whites in more metropolitan counties” (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2017, p. 1). In other words, White Americans were the most likely victims of suicide in large cities and urbanized centers. In the case of African Americans, it is reported that “suicide rates for non-Hispanic blacks were lowest in nonmetropolitan/rural counties and highest in more urban counties” (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2017, p. 1). Therefore, the members of the Black community in big cities were under a greater threat of suicide compared to African Americans in rural regions.
The age-related demographic factors also play a critical correlational role in putting an American at the risk of suicide completion. The report suggests that “increases in suicide rates occurred for all age groups across urbanization levels, with the highest rates for persons aged 35–64 years” (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2017, p. 1). In other words, as a person gets older and enters his or her middle-age to the elderly-age range, he or she is in more serious danger of committing suicide and dying as a result.
Mechanism of Death
Suicide can be conducted and performed by using a wide range of different means. One might decide to jump under a vehicle, jump from the top of a high building, opt for suffocation by drowning or hanging, and use a gun alongside many other methods. However, it is stated that “greater increases in rates of suicide by firearms and hanging/suffocation occurred across all urbanization levels” (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2017, p. 1). In addition, “rates of suicide by firearms in nonmetropolitan/rural counties were almost two times that of rates in larger metropolitan counties” (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2017, p. 1). Thus, firearms are the most common method of suicide completion, which is followed by suffocative hanging. It is likely to be connected to the higher degree of availability of guns across the United States compared to other nations.
Developing a Hypothesis and Rationale
The proposed hypothesis for the observed suicide completion patterns is rooted in a combination of several factors. These might include the differential availability of suicide prevention support, socioeconomic conditions, and sociocultural pressures. For example, poorer regions tend to be rural ones with less employment and economic opportunities. In addition, such locations are more likely to have worse suicide prevention access to discourage suicide. Therefore, people in rural regions might experience more financial stress, fewer methods of responding to them, and fewer ways of acquiring the necessary help. Another factor involves socioeconomic conditions, which might also explain why Native Americans and rural inhabitants are at a greater risk of suicide completion (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2017). In other words, poverty can be a significant contributor to pushing specific groups to attempt and complete suicide.
When it comes to sociocultural pressures, the latter factor might explain why non-Hispanic whites are the high-risk category in big cities. Since Native Americans’ suicide rate is comparable to White people, the data is mainly skewed due to the extremely high rate of completion among Natives in small metropolitan regions. Considering the fact that Native Americans tend to live in either reservation and specific states, such as “Alaska, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and South Dakota,” the two groups are comparable (Rezal, 2021). Thus, non-Hispanic whites are at risk due to sociocultural factors, where suicidal ideations might not be openly discussed and addressed. In addition, men also might be under a higher degree of cultural pressure to be more isolated and less likely to seek help. Toxic masculinity might be another extension of the sociocultural factor, where men are pressured to be emotionally unexpressive and independent, such as not asking for support.
There are many different candidates for detailed elements of influence. These are groups with low salaries, living standards, the percentage of poverty among the population, and the percentage of the unemployed. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the lack of cohesion within the group, the pricing policy in the regions and its difference from neighboring ones, and the shares of the middle-income and low-income classes with their annual income levels. The bulk of the population needs to be observed through vulnerable groups, whose standard of living can be an objective indicator of the quality of life of the people in the analysis (Coon et al., 2018). The socioeconomic factor plays an important role in the harmonious development of the individual. It provides one with all conditions in his mental, physical, moral, spiritual, aesthetic, and cultural development.
Suicide attempts and suicide can have long-term consequences for individuals, their social networks, and communities. There are many reasons for suicide, and it is important to understand the psychological processes that underlie suicidal thoughts and the factors that can lead to feelings of hopelessness or despair. Suicide behavior is complex, and there is no single explanation for why people die by suicide (Coon et al., 2018). Social, psychological, and cultural factors can interact with each other to lead a person to suicidal thoughts or behavior. For many people, the attempt may come after a long period of suicidal thoughts or feelings, while in other cases, it may be more impulsive. Alcohol and alcoholism may also provide fertile ground for the seeds of suicide due to the combination of depressive experiences and the inhibitory effect of alcohol, which facilitates suicidal actions. In this regard, the most effective preventive measure for patients who have not yet come to the attention of suicide prevention experts is the reduction of alcohol consumption in the population and the treatment of alcoholism as the underlying disease.
Conclusion
In conclusion, suicide is more likely to impact men, older generations, Native Americans, non-Hispanic Whites, and rural communities due to socioeconomic conditions, sociocultural reasons, and the unavailability of suicide prevention support. Socioeconomic conditions explain how poverty and lack of opportunity impact Native Americans, the elderly, and rural populations. Sociocultural reasons might be responsible for high suicide among men and non-Hispanic whites. Lastly, the inaccessibility of suicide prevention support is a likely reason for a significant risk among rural regions and men as well. Thus, it should be stated that there are a large number of reasons and factors contributing to the commission of suicide. In order to combat suicidal behavior in society, it is necessary to act primarily on the identified determinants of suicide.
References
Coon, D, Mitterer, J. O., & Martini, T. S. (2018). Introduction to psychology: Gateways to mind and behavior (15th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Ivey-Stephenson, A. Z., Crosby, A. E., Jack, S. P., Haileyesus, T., & Kresnow-Sedacca, M. (2017). Suicide trends among and within urbanization levels by sex, race/ethnicity, age group, and mechanism of death — United States, 2001–2015. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Surveillance Summaries, 66(18), 1–16.
Nystedt, T., Rosvall, M., & Lindström, M. (2019). Sexual orientation, suicide ideation and suicide attempt: A population-based study. Psychiatry Research, 275, 359-365.
Rezal, A. (2021). Where most Native Americans live.U.S. News.