On Suicide Rate Differentials in Tulsa

In a communication which appeared in this journal 1 it was noted that, at least on the basis of an analysis of available data, the Theory of Status Integration of Gibbs and Martin 2 fails to explain Powell's observation that among the white males in the Standard Metropolitan Area of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the suicide rate of those in the professional-managerial category has been consistently higher than the rate for those in the sales-clerical and craftsmen categories.3 Powell's theory, though void of operational measures or indexes, was described by the writer measure of status integration of other than occupational suicide differentials; but the communication apparently was a factor in the matters' decision to apply their theory to Powell's Tulsa data.5 Gibbs and Martin report that the relative magnitude of the suicide rate for those in the professional-managerial category represents an isolated incorrect prediction among data which generally support their theory. Furthermore, they show that if professional and managerial are viewed as two distinct status categories (rather than a single occupational type) their integration with white and with male status-based on the relative number of white males in these occupations-is much lower and therefore more in line with the observed suicide rates. A more complete measure of status integration requires

Criminology · Medical emergency · Poison control · Sociology · Suicide prevention · Suicide rates · Demography · Medicine · Psychology · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies · Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies