Dissertation Abstract: Greta Yoder Slater

Background: Emile Durkheim (1897/1985) theorized that sociological variables (e. g., social, political, economic) are more helpful for understanding suicide than individual or psychological explanations. This study extends the previous sociological work on suicide by testing a theoretical model that includes economic, political, and social variables. The purpose of this study was the development and testing of a predictive model of firearm suicide among the general population and among older adults in the US. Methods: Secondary data were collected from each state (N=50) and included divorce, gender, economic climate, elder economic climate, election results, gun access, and violence index. Political data were obtained from the Federal Election Commission and were coded as the percent voting for the Republican candidate in each of the last four Presidential elections. Economic climate and elder economic climate measures included five indicators of poverty. The gun access measure was a six-item Scale of gun laws indicating the leniency of gun control laws in each state. Violence data were obtained from Uniform Crime Reports which included homicide, rape, battery, and robbery. Maximum likelihood (ML) estimation was conducted using AMOS 5.0. Results: The initial test of the structural model yielded a very good fit for the overall model χ2(9, N=50) =4.751 (CMIN)p=.855, GFI=.973, NFI=.972, and RMSEA=.000. Poverty, violence, partisanship, divorce, gender, and gun access had significant effects on suicide, explaining 76.0 2% of the variance in state suicide and gun suicide rates. Gun access had a significant, direct effect on suicide explaining more than 40% of the variance in state rates. Southern & mountain states with liberal gun policies had significantly higher rates of suicide and firearm suicide. The model was less helpful for explaining elder suicide, with 54% of the variance explained for elder suicide and elder gun suicide rates. Implications: The sociological autopsy approach provides evidence to help inform policy making and practice in the US. Future research is needed to better understand age differences in gun access and to understand how elders acquire guns used in suicide. Comprehensive, theory-building research is one step toward a reduction in firearm suicide and development of comprehensive suicide prevention programs.