Spatiotemporal Patterns of Suicide in Korea From 2009 to 2019 Using Geographic Information Systems

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Geographic Epidemiology
• Sociology

Background:

• Individual factors alone are insufficient for understanding suicide rates.
• Regional characteristics significantly influence suicide risk.
• Spatiotemporal analysis is vital for comprehensive suicide research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the spatiotemporal association between suicide rates and geographic features in South Korea.
• To identify distinct patterns of this association across all administrative areas.
• To inform targeted suicide prevention efforts.

Main Methods:

• Utilized age-standardized mortality data from the Korean Statistical Information Service (2009-2019).
• Analyzed 229 administrative regions using emerging hotspot analysis for 3-dimensional spatiotemporal cluster evaluation.
• Identified hotspots, cold spots, and temporal patterns (new, persistent, sporadic, oscillating).

Main Results:

• Identified 27 hotspots (11.8%) and 60 cold spots (26.2%) across South Korean regions.
• Detected various hotspot patterns: 2 new, 1 persistent, 23 sporadic, and 1 oscillating.
• Revealed significant geographic disparities in suicide rate spatiotemporal dynamics.

Conclusions:

• Geographic variations in spatiotemporal suicide rate patterns are evident in South Korea.
• National suicide prevention resources require strategic prioritization for areas with unique spatiotemporal characteristics.
• Tailored interventions based on identified geographic patterns can enhance prevention effectiveness.