International Social Science Journal (Chinese Edition)

No.2, 2021

 

Social disorganisation theory and suicide (Abstract)

 

Matthew D. Moore

 

Early examinations of homicide and suicide by sociologists believed that the two forms of deviance were similar. However, the investigation into the exact association between homicide and suicide has been unexplored in more recent years. Yet studies examining homicide and suicide independently often illustrate that similar structural factors predict increases in both forms of deviance. At the same time, studies of homicide and suicide have shown an inverse relationship. Using data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Census Bureau, the current analysis explores if factors predicting homicide can be applied to suicide, using social disorganisation theory as a guide. Multivariate regression analysis reveals that some of the same factors theorised by social disorganisation theory do predict increased levels of suicide. The current analysis demonstrates that theories of crime may be applied to suicide to gain a fuller understanding of the deviant act.