Local Homicides Increase Suicide in US Counties
Objective:
This study analyzes the longitudinal relationship between homicide and suicide rates across U.S. counties from 1968 to 2019, with a focus on variation by race, firearm involvement, and urbanicity. Using a quasi-experimental System Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) approach to address endogeneity and reverse causality, the study examines 162,472 county-year observations from the CDC WONDER database and the National Historical Geographic Information System. Findings indicate that higher homicide rates predict subsequent increases in suicide rates one year later, particularly for firearm-related fatalities.
Project Status:
Completed
Principal Investigators:
Daniel Semenza, Christopher Thomas, Richard Stansfield, David Johnson, Kimberly Burke, and Michael D. Anestis.