Religion and Suicide: A Research Note on Sociology's "One Law"

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Abstract
The research reported here is an examination of the influence of Catholic populations on rates of suicide among the political subunits of Louisiana. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the effect of percent Catholic, both generally and within cultural subregions of the state. The findings, consistent with those of Pope and Danigelis, indicate that the presence of Catholics does not reduce the rate of suicide. Moreover, where Catholic populations are not located in a traditionally Catholic culture, their greater relative presence is associated with increases in suicide rates. While these findings contradict the specific Durkheimian hypothesis that Catholics have lower rates of suicide, they are consistent with Durkheim's general integration theory of suicide.

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