Citation

Stack S, Gundlach J, Reeves JL. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 1994; 24(1): 15-23.

Affiliation

Department of Sociology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8203005

Abstract

The impact of the heavy metal music subculture on suicide has been the subject of much public debate but little scholarly research. The present paper assesses this relationship with data on heavy metal magazine subscriptions and youth suicide in the 50 states. We find that, controlling for other predictors of suicide, the greater the strength of the metal subculture, the higher the youth suicide rate. The music perhaps nurtures suicidal tendencies already present in the subculture. The model explains 51% of the variance in youth suicide.