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The spring peak in suicides: a cross-national analysis
1Department of Environmental Analysis & Design, School of Social Ecology, University of California at Irvine 92717-5150.
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|January 1, 1995
Summary
Social activity seasonality, like agricultural work, correlates with spring suicide peaks. However, suicide seasonality is only observed in temperate zones, indicating geographical latitude
Area of Science:
- Social epidemiology
- Environmental psychology
- Demography
Background:
- Suicide seasonality, particularly spring peaks, is a documented phenomenon.
- The interplay between social factors and bioclimatic influences on suicide rates remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the differential impact of social versus bioclimatic factors on the magnitude of cross-national variations in spring suicide peaks.
- To explore the relationship between agricultural seasonality and overall suicide seasonality.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of time series and cross-sectional data from 28 countries.
- Utilized bivariate plots and simple correlation analysis.
- Measured social activity seasonality by the proportion of national workforces engaged in agriculture.
Main Results:
- A significant positive correlation was found between suicide seasonality and seasonality in social activities, specifically agricultural work.
- Suicide seasonality was predominantly observed in populations located within the temperature zone.
- Geographical latitude appears to be a contextual factor influencing suicide seasonality.
Conclusions:
- Social activity seasonality is a key correlate of spring suicide peaks.
- Bioclimatic factors, particularly geographical latitude, play a role in the occurrence of suicide seasonality, primarily in temperate regions.