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Abstract
An increasing number of studies have addressed the determinants of suicide. Social
capital is a key factor in preventing suicide. However, little is known about the
experience of suicide ideation using subjective values. From the viewpoint of suicide
prevention, it is worth examining how people think of suicide. This paper attempts
to examine the effect of social capital on suicide ideation. Furthermore, the paper
compares the effect of social capital between urban and non-urban areas. In this paper,
urban areas are equivalent to mega-cities with populations over one million. Non-urban
areas are cities with populations of less than one million, towns and villages. Individual-level
data from the Japanese General Social Surveys (JGSSs) are used. The survey, which
was conducted in 2006, provides information about the subjective value of suicide
ideation. The survey was answered by 1413 subjects with a mean age of 54.5. Of the
subjects, 49% were male. Social trust is used to measure the degree of social capital,
and the outcome of interest is suicide ideation within the past 5 years. After controlling
for various factors, the major findings are that both individual-level social trust
and social trust accumulated in one's residential administrative district reduce the
probability that one will consider suicide. After dividing the sample into urban and
non-urban residents, particularized trust plays a role in deterring suicide ideation
in urban areas, while generalized trust plays a role in deterring suicide ideation
in non-urban areas. The effect of each type of trust depends on its scarcity in residential
areas.