A Subculture of Parasuicide?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to devise an empirical test of the hypothesis that geographical areas with high parasuicide rates (HRAs) are characterized by a distinctive subculture which is expected to facilitate parasuicidal behavior to a considerable degree. A secondary hypothesis states that cultural differences (“cultural distance”) between parasuicides and the general population will be relatively more pronounced in areas with low parasuicide rates (LRAs) than in HRAs. Data were gathered on four separate samples in Edinburgh: two groups of parasuicides, one from an HRA, the other from three LRAs, and two groups of population controls matched pairwise with each parasuicide by sex, age, and area of residence. Four instruments, of which three were specially designed for the study, were used to test middle-order hypotheses relating to specific elements of the cultural system. These instruments are fully described. Empirical evidence undoubtedly supports the prediction of a meaning system in the HRA which is distinctive from that found in the LRA. However, not all differences are in the expected direction. Although there is evidence of greater toleration in the HRA of deviant behavior in general, parasuicide is equally proscribed in the two areas and is given the most extreme rating of 19 conduct norms in the HRA. The HRA subculture is also significantly less understanding of parasuicide, and considers it to be more immoral and sanctionable than the dominant LRA culture. Overall, lifetime contact with suicidal behavior is equally extensive in the two areas, although more intimate experience and personal involvement is reported in the HRA. Detailed analyses of within-area differences relating to all measures and instruments provide little support for the secondary hypothesis; cultural distance is similar in both groups. Possible explanations to account for the unexpected findings are proposed.