Research has shown how honor cultures promote aggression against others (e.g., homicide) and the self (e.g., suicide). Two studies examine the connection between honor and a predilection for guns in the commission of suicide. Study 1 shows that Whites living in honor states are especially likely to use guns to commit suicide, controlling for gun accessibility. Study 2 reveals that a “gun access gap” in honor states—a positive difference between the proportion of all suicides that involve a gun and the gun ownership rate—predicts outcomes linked previously to honor cultures: homicides and accidental deaths.
Gun Culture: Mapping a Peculiar Preference for Firearms in the Commission of Suicide
GVPedia Study Database
Gun Culture: Mapping a Peculiar Preference for Firearms in the Commission of Suicide
Category: Firearm Availability, Homicide, Suicide, Unintentional|Journal: Basic and Applied Social Psychology (full text)|Author: L Osterman, M Imura, R Brown|Year: 2014