THE EFFECT OF DIVORCE ON SUICIDE IN DENMARK, 1951-1980

Past research on the effect of marital dissolution on suicide is limited largely to the cultural and institutional framework of the U.S. The present article studies Denmark, a nation with a different social context. A Cochrane‐Orcutt iterative regression analysis replicates the American‐based pattern for Denmark. The divorce index is more closely associated than the unemployment rate with changes in the suicide rate. A 1% increase in divorce is associated with a 0.32% increase in suicide. Divorce trends also predict the incidence of youth suicide. The study further confirms the generalization that links rapid change in kinship structures to suicide in industrial societies. Copyright © 1990, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved