The effects of sunshine duration and ambient temperature on suicides in Hungary

A couple of studies suggest that sunshine duration and ambient temperature contribute to suicide. Few studies have happened in East-Central European area.

We scrutinized the daily suicide rates and other measured meteorological parameters spanning from 1971 to 2013 in the region of Hungary exhibiting the highest suicide rate.

The meteorological parameters measured in the area signified the independent variables of the statistical model, while the observed suicide rate connoted the dependent variable. Dynamic Regression, a time series analytical method was employed for creating the model.

Three meteorological parameters displayed a weak, yet statistically significant relationship with suicide rates. 1/ Daily sunshine duration has shown an immediate, significant positive correlation, 2/ daily changes in temperature at ground level also exhibited a significant relationship, albeit it followed a complex transient profile overarching three days. Tropopause height was also significant in the model: an immediate positive effect was followed by a negative effect six days later.

We estimated consistent and immediate positive associations between daily suicide and daily change of elevated ambient temperature and duration of sunshine in a high rated area of Hungary.