Altitude, Immigration and Suicide Rates: A Study from Turkey

Selek, Salih

doi:10.4306/pi.2013.10.1.89

Cited by 13 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Our study also found a positive relationship between high altitude and suicide in South Korea based on data from a longer-period of time (1997-2007). On the other hand, Selek did not find an association between altitude and suicide in Turkey, and he suggested that the positive results of previous studies were probably due to confounding variables, such as differences in socioeconomic status 4. However, the positive association between mean altitude and suicide rate remained significant even after adjusting for socioeconomic factors in our study.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

“…Therefore they suggested that other sociodemographic and mental health factors in high altitude communities, such as the relative availability and utilization of mental health reso-urces, should be considered 3. Additionally, a study conducted in Turkey did not find any association between altitude and suicide 4. The author suggested that the positive results of previous studies may be due to confounding variables such as socioeconomic status 4…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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High Altitude Remains Associated with Elevated Suicide Rates after Adjusting for Socioeconomic Status: A Study from South Korea

Kim

Choi

Lee

et al. 2014

Psychiatry Investig

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There have been several studies supporting a possible relationship between high suicide rate and high altitude. However socioeconomic status may confound this association because low socioeconomic status, which is known to be related to a high suicide rate, is also associated with living at high altitude. This study aims to explore whether the relationship between high altitude and high suicide rate remains after adjusting for socioeconomic status in South Korea. We collected demographic data of completed suicides, the mean altitude of the district where each suicide took place, and the mean income of each district. We analyzed the data using regression analysis before and after adjustment for mean income. We found that there is a positive correlation between altitude and suicide rate, even after adjustment for mean income. Thus, altitude appears to be an independent risk factor for suicide.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Altitude Remains Associated with Elevated Suicide Rates after Adjusting for Socioeconomic Status: A Study from South Korea

Kim

Choi

Lee

et al. 2014

Psychiatry Investig

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“…Previously examined risks include temporal relationships (Chuanc & Huang, 1997;Kposowa & D'Auria, 2010), the natural environmental (e.g., altitude) (Brenner, Cheng, Clark, & Camargo, 2011;Selek, 2013), economic factors (e.g., foreclosure) (Classen & Dunn, 2012;Fowler, Gladden, Vagi, Barnes, & Frazier, 2014;Suzuki, Kashima, Kawachi, & Subramanian, 2014) and the proximity of health care providers (Wagenaar, Hagaman, Kaiser, McLean, & Kohrt, 2012;Windfuhr & Kapur, 2011). More commonly, a range of socioeconomic and demographic variables come to the forefront of these investigations (Rehkopf & Buka, 2005;Walker, 2009).…”

Section: Research Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographic variation in male suicide rates in the United States

2015

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“…However, results in the literature have not always been consistent. For instance, no association was found in a study in Turkey that used suicide rates in 81 provinces in 2007 and 2008 [ 40 ]. In a Japanese study, the slope of habitable land was reported to be a more relevant predictor than altitude [ 41 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Ecological Study on the Spatially Varying Relationship between County-Level Suicide Rates and Altitude in the United States

2018

IJERPH

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Suicide is a serious but preventable public health issue. Several previous studies have revealed a positive association between altitude and suicide rates at the county level in the contiguous United States. We assessed the association between suicide rates and altitude using a cross-county ecological study design. Data on suicide rates were obtained from a Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS), maintained by the U.S. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC). Altitude data were collected from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). We employed an ordinary least square (OLS) regression to model the association between altitude and suicide rates in 3064 counties in the contiguous U.S. We conducted a geographically weighted regression (GWR) to examine the spatially varying relationship between suicide rates and altitude after controlling for several well-established covariates. A significant positive association between altitude and suicide rates (average county rates between 2008 and 2014) was found in the dataset in the OLS model (R2 = 0.483, p < 0.001). Our GWR model fitted the data better, as indicated by an improved R2 (average: 0.62; range: 0.21–0.64) and a lower Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) value (13,593.68 vs. 14,432.14 in the OLS model). The GWR model also significantly reduced the spatial autocorrelation, as indicated by Moran’s I test statistic (Moran’s I = 0.171; z = 33.656; p < 0.001 vs. Moran’s I = 0.323; z = 63.526; p < 0.001 in the OLS model). In addition, a stronger positive relationship was detected in areas of the northern regions, northern plain regions, and southeastern regions in the U.S. Our study confirmed a varying overall positive relationship between altitude and suicide. Future research may consider controlling more predictor variables in regression models, such as firearm ownership, religion, and access to mental health services.

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Altitude, Immigration and Suicide Rates: A Study from Turkey

Cited by 13 publications

References 10 publications

High Altitude Remains Associated with Elevated Suicide Rates after Adjusting for Socioeconomic Status: A Study from South Korea

High Altitude Remains Associated with Elevated Suicide Rates after Adjusting for Socioeconomic Status: A Study from South Korea

Geographic variation in male suicide rates in the United States

An Ecological Study on the Spatially Varying Relationship between County-Level Suicide Rates and Altitude in the United States

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