Sex Differences and their Effect upon Cultural Evaluations of Methods of Self-Destruction

1 February 1977

journal article
research article
Published by SAGE Publications in OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying

Vol. 8 (1) , 65-70
https://doi.org/10.2190/ldrm-mcw7-qut8-frxl

Abstract

A sample of 694 college students was used to test for differences in preferences for particular methods of self-destruction for men and women. Significant differences were found for six of nine methods. Cultural evaluations of suicide methods, particularly firearms and drugs-poison, varied by sex and suicide. Women associated painlessness and efficiency with drugs-poison; men associated masculinity, efficiency and being knowledgeable of the method with firearms. These findings support previous theorizing on the relationship between sex, sociocultural patterns and methods of self-destruction. Implications for clinical evaluations of female attempters regarding their intent to suicide may be underestimated if females report they are considering drugs-poison.

Keywords

This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:

Test of Goffman's Hypothesis of Familiarity and Deviance: Attempted Suicide and Tolerance of Deviant Behavior
Psychological Reports, 1976
Socialization, Firearms, and Suicide
Social Problems, 1976
Toward a Sociocultural Perspective on Means of Self‐Destruction*
Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 1974