Cohort Size and Suicide Mortality in Canada: An Assessment of the Easterlin and Preston Theories in the GI through the Y Generations

Abstract

A key component of demographic analysis is the cohort. Cohort-related factors might play a role in the strong net cohort effect reported for male baby boomers (born 1946–1966) in Canada, who have committed suicide at an unusually high rate. This study examines the impact of relative cohort size on suicide mortality in Canada and compares this effect in the province of Quebec to the effect observed in the rest of Canada and tests concurrent demographic theories of Easterlin and Preston. A Hierarchical Age-Period-Cohort Cross-Classified Random Effect Model (HAPC-CCREM) was used to assess the impacts of interest. The results in Canada support Easterlin’s paradigm: large cohorts commit suicide at higher rates than small cohorts. However, the relationship appears to be specific to males, as female cohort sizes do not have significant effects on suicide mortality rates. Our findings also suggest that the effect of relative cohort size on suicide mortality is significantly greater for males in Quebec than for males in the rest of Canada.