Bijou Yang

Suicide, homicide and unemployment

The strong association between unemployment and suicide was found in an examination of annual changes in both of these rates in the USA. However, the association between unemployment and suicide appears to be strong in the United States, but weak or non-existent in other nations.

The Effect of Domestic and Economic Stress on Suicide Rates in Canada and the United States.

The study of the variation in societal suicide rates still is guided primarily by Durkheims (1897) theory. He proposed primarily a social integration/regulation theory of suicide. One useful way of exploring this theory is from a cross-cultural perspective. Rates of birth, divorce, marriage, and unemployment were analyzed in comparison to rates of suicide from 1950 to 1985 in Canada and the United States. Results generally supported Durkheims theory except for marriage. There was no association between marriage and suicide in Canada, whereas in the United States marriage had a protective effect once other variables were taken into account. Divorce rates were associated positively and birth rates associated negatively with suicide in both countries. Unemployment rates added little predictive power to suicide rates. A historical perspective and caution about overgeneralizing the results are presented.

Gender differences in e-commerce

Predictors of shopping online were compared for men and women using a sample of 365 college students. For the men, the only predictor of purchasing products online was the number of hours they spent online. For women, the predictors of making purchases online included anxiety about using computers and attitudes toward money, in addition to the number of hours spent online. The results were examined using OLS and MLE (logit and probit) regressions techniques, and the results from each technique compared and contrasted.

Attitudes Toward Buying Online as Predictors of Shopping Online for British and American Respondents

This study compared the attitudes toward online shopping of British and American individuals. Using a sample of 327 British and American university students, the British respondents were found to have less favorable attitudes toward online shopping. Attitudes toward online shopping were found to be significant predictors of making online purchases. The implications of these results were discussed and suggestions made for future research.

Sociological and economic theories of suicide: A comparison of the U.S.A. and Taiwan

Time-series analyses were carried out to explore the importance of sociological and economic variables in accounting for the suicide rate in the U.S.A. and in Taiwan for 1952-1984. Sociological variables (divorce and female labor force participation) played similar roles in the multiple regressions for both nations while economic variables (GNP per capita/growth and unemployment) played a role only in the U.S.A.

Recalculating the Economic Cost of Suicide.

These authors argue that estimates of the net economic cost of suicide should go beyond accounting for direct medical costs and indirect costs from loss of earnings by those who commit suicide. There are potential savings from (a) not having to treat the depressive and other psychiatric disorders of those who kill themselves; (b) avoidance of pension, social security and nursing home care costs; and (c) assisted-suicide. By combining all of these costs and savings, it is concluded that the net economic cost of the 30,906 completed suicides in 1990 entailed an economic gain for the society of roughly

The Impact of the Economy on Suicide and Homicide Rates in Japan and the United States

5.07 billion in year—2005 dollars. This calculation does not include estimated costs due to the psychological pain and suffering of the survivors. Suicide should be prevented based on humane considerations, not on the economic cost involved.

PREFRONTAL SYSTEM DYSFUNCTION AND CREDIT CARD DEBT

A time series study of socioeconomic correlates of suicide and homicide in Japan and the USA from 1953 to 1982 revealed cross-national differences. Divorce rates were positively associated with rates of personal violence in the USA but negatively associated with these rates in Japan. Unemployment and female labor force participation also correlated differently with rates of personal violence in the two nations suggesting that different theories may be necessary to account for the variation in rates of personal violence in different societies.

The Relationship Between Divorce, Unemployment and Female Participation in the Labour Force and Suicide Rates in Australia and America

Credit card use often involves a disadvantageous allocation of finances because they allow for spending beyond means and buying on impulse. Accordingly they are associated with increased bankruptcy, anxiety, stress, and health problems. Mounting evidence from functional neuroimaging and clinical studies implicates prefrontal-subcortical systems in processing financial information. This study examined the relationship of credit card debt and executive functions using the Frontal System Behavior Scale (FRSBE). After removing the influences of demographic variables (age, sex, education, and income), credit card debt was associated with the Executive Dysfunction scale, but not the Apathy or Disinhibition scales. This suggests that processes of conceptualizing and organizing finances are most relevant to credit card debt, and implicates dorsolateral prefrontal dysfunction.

Unemployment and suicidal behaviour

Identical data sets for Australia and the USA from 1946 to 1984 were analysed to explore the association of unemployment rates, female participation in the labour force and divorce with suicide rates. While female participation in the labour force was related to suicide rates in Australia, unemployment was not. For the USA, both female participation in the labour force and unemployment were related to suicide rates.