Social capital and suicidal behaviors: Evidence from the United States counties

Muxin Zhai, Ruby P. Kishan and Dean Showalter

Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), 2022, vol. 98, issue C

Abstract: Suicide imposes substantial threats to a community's operation, functioning, and welfare. We propose that social detachment and isolation from community can be a leading risk factor of suicide behaviors. Using a social capital index derived from the principal component analysis, we show that county-level suicide rate in the US from 2005 to 2017 is strongly and significantly correlated with social capital. A one standard deviation improvement in social capital prevents 0.41–0.44 suicide deaths per 100,000 population per year, resulting in an annual benefit of $41.2 to $44.7 per person based on the value of statistical life in 2017 dollars. At the same time, a higher unemployment rate, a larger male-to-female ratio, and a greater proportion of the white population contribute to rising suicides. These findings highlight the joint role of societal factors and personal traits in influencing individual behaviors. (C33, C38, I15, Z13)

Keywords: Social capital; Suicide rate; Principal component analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:soceco:v:98:y:2022:i:c:s2214804322000313

DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2022.101856

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