COUNTRY-MUSIC AND SUICIDE - INDIVIDUAL, INDIRECT AND INTERACTION EFFECTS - REPLY

Previous work on country music and suicide has neglected individual-le vel data analysis of country music fans' suicide risk, use of an avera ge annual country music exposure index, an analysis of indirect effect s, and an assessment of interaction effects. The present article addre sses these issues. First, country music fans are found to be at signif icantly higher risk of suicide than nonfans both in gun ownership and marital disruption. A significant zero-order relationship between coun try music and suicide does become spurious with controls when we use a n average annual exposure index. However, country music exerts both in direct and interaction effects on suicide. Hence, the present article offers additional support for a link between country music and suicide .