ATTITUDES TOWARD SUICIDE AMONG ENGLISH-SPEAKING URBAN CANADIANS

The study of suicide must take place within a specific cultural contex t. Despite Canada's high rate of suicide, compared to that of the Unit ed States, there has been little research on the topic, including atti tudes toward suicide among Canadians. The purpose of this study is to examine attitudes toward suicide in a Canadian English-speaking urban sample. A sample of 196 Canadian adults residing in six major cities w ere administered the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire. The results are di scussed along 10 major dimensions: the stigma of suicide; normality; t he right to die; acceptability; cry for help; mental illness; religion ; antecedents; impulsivity; and incidence. Although some modal respons es were obtained, the variability expressed has a number of implicatio ns for understanding and responding to suicide in Canada.