This study reexamines Durkheim’s theory of social integration and suicide and tests for an association in a cross-cultural sample of pre-literate societies. Contrary to Durkheim’s theory, the author finds that suicide varies inversely with both social and religious integration. Results also suggested that suicide is negatively associated with a society’s ritual activity. Overall it is suggested that alienated persons in highly integrated societies will be at a greater risk of suicide than those in less integrated societies.

Although research has been conducted on individual social and psychological factors on suicide rates, there has yet to be any exploration into the role of civil society participation. This article investigates whether civil society participation influences suicide rates cross-nationally. The study hypothesizes that both political and non-political participation can reduce suicide rates by providing social and psychological benefits. Using data from 2000 to 2019 across 156 countries, as well as controlling standard variables and endogeneity, they find that both political and non-political civil society participation have a negative and statistically significant effect on suicide rates. The conclusion is that engagement in civil society, whether political or non-political, may help lower suicide rates nationally.

In this dissertation the author tests Naroll's "thwarting disorientation" theory of suicide further by testing hypotheses using individual suicide cases described in ethnography. Author also considered the societal factors that could create stress.

This article investigates how pathogen risk affects xenophobia, in-group bias, and collectivist and conformist values. Data analysis suggests that there is an association between pathogen risk and socialization for collectivist values, but the other variables were not associated with pathogen prevalence.

This article examines a hypothesis that associates alcoholism with the structure and quality of social norms related to drinking. Analysis yields little support for this hypothesis, but the amount of alcohol consumed by members of the society emerges as an important predictive variable. A new theory of alcoholism that takes this variable into account is discussed.

This article investigates variables related to suicide in preindustrial societies. Bivariate analyses indicate associations between rates of suicide and religion, kinship, political and economic integration, expression of emotions, and importance of pride. Multiple regression identifies three key predictors of suicide: the major economic activity, rules concerning the expression of emotions, and the importance of pride and shame.

Authors suggest that suicide is more likely to occur in contexts where an individual's social ties are threatened, weakened, or broken, causing social dislocation (thwarting-disorientation contexts). Results support this hypothesis.

The authors contribute to a growing body of theory which posits cultural differences as a result of variable pathogen prevalence by testing the relationship between pathogen richness and various measures of conformity in a cross-regional sample. After controlling for confounds such as life expectancy, GDP, population density, arable land area, and agricultural labor force, the authors suggest that conformity is emphasized to varying degrees in response to the increased vulnerability to pathogens generally associated with deviation from normative social conduct.

This study tests for an association between suicide rates and cultural fear of the dead. Tests do not support a significant relationship.

This study investigates the thwarting disorientation theory of suicide, suggesting that the rate of suicide in a society can be predicted from thwarting disorientation traits such as men’s divorce freedom and defiant homicide.