GROUP DIFFERENCES IN ASTROLOGICAL INDICATORS OF SUICIDE
This study extended original work on astrological indicators for suicide conducted by Timins (1996). Specifically, the research examined whether astrological indicators could be use to successfully distinguish a number of gender-related differences in method of suicide that had been established by psychobehavioral research. Findings were not significant, and were explained as methodological artifact.
According to Berman and Jobes (1991), someone in the United States takes his or her own life every twenty or thirty minutes and more than 30,000 people kill themselves each year. This rate of 12.2 per 100,000 makes suicide one of the top ten causes of death in the industrialized world.
In addition, Bongar (1991) reports that suicide rates are believed to be 25 to 30 percent higher than recorded because many deaths that are officially recorded as accidental (e.g., single-auto crashes, drowning, falls from great heights) are actually suicides. These statistics highlight the importance of determining those factors or indicators that allow for better identification of people who are at increased risk of suicide.
Research has suggested that one indicator of the propensity to suicide is gender. In this regard, Diekstra (1990) reports that gender differences have been associated with differences in: a) the frequency with which suicide will be attempted; b) the frequency with which suicide will be successfully committed; and c) the selected method of suicide.
Specifically, Diekstra (1990) reports that men are significantly more likely to successfully commit suicide than women; however, women are three times more likely than men to attempt suicide. Moreover, the author states that men tend to select violent methods of suicide (e.g., firearms, jumping from a building, stabbing, etc.) while women tend to select less violent methods (e.g., taking sleeping pills, asp...