Citation

Fernquist RM. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2001; 31(3): 333-341.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1521/suli.31.3.333.24242

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Durkheim's (1897/1951) theory of political integration argues that when political crises occur, individuals band together to solve the problem at hand. As a result, this increased integration yields lower suicide rates. The purpose of this analysis is to examine a different component of the concept of political integration—that of attitudes. During the past couple of decades, individuals in eight Western European countries have been asked about their attitudes toward the unification of Western Europe. Cross-sectional time series analysis reveals that the attitudes individuals hold toward such an event are significantly related to suicide rates. Although Durkheim's theory of political integration focuses on events within a given country, the research herein finds that political integration exists on an international level as well. A reformulation of Durkheim's theory of political integration is put forth.