Relationship of internal-external control and United States suicide rates, 1973--1976.

Publisher: Wiley Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 0217132 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 0021-9762 (Print) Linking ISSN: 00219762 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Clin Psychol Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: <2005-> : Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley
Original Publication: Brandon, Vt. [etc.] Clinical Psychology Pub. Co.

Internal-External Control*; Suicide/*psychology; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Psychological Tests ; Suicide/epidemiology ; United States

Related annual variations in United States suicide rates between 1973 and 1976 to the concomitant annual variations in internal external (I-E) control scores obtained from a representative sample of the United States population. High scores indicated perceptions of external control. As predicted, I-E scores were correlated significantly with the increasing suicide rate of the total United States population and increased significantly for persons in the (15--24 and 25--34 year) age groups that displayed substantial linear increases in suicide rates, but did not increase significantly for Ss in the remaining age groups (which showed slight decreases in suicide rates). I-E scores were correlated significantly with the suicide rates of the other two (65--74, and 75--84 year) age groups that showed a linear decrease or substantial nonlinear fluctuation in suicide rates. Thus, linear or substantial nonlinear variations in suicide rates always were associated with corresponding variations in perceptions of external control.

Date Created: 19790701 Date Completed: 19791220 Latest Revision: 20190723

20250114

10.1002/1097-4679(197907)35:3<513::aid-jclp2270350308>3.0.co;2-l

489735