Attempted suicide in Denmark. II. Social integration

Analyzed interviews with 89 20–69 yr old suicide attempters in Denmark and calculated their level of social integration, using a Nordic model proposed by the 1st author (1983) and E. Durkheim's (1897 [1979]) theories on the inverse correlation between suicide and social integration. Ss were interviewed as to their relationship with their close environment (family, friends, neighbors), their work environment, and the community. Results show that those attempting suicide could be characterized as having inadequate contacts in all 3 arenas. The level of social integration was significantly lower among the suicide attempters than in the population generally, suggesting that Durkheim's theories on suicide are valid for explaining the incidence of suicide attempts. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)