The High Suicide Rates at High Altitudes May Be Related to Divorce

Authors : Ömer Acat, Okan İmre

Pages : 230-234

Doi:10.37990/medr.1447832

View : 47 | Download : 64

Publication Date : 2024-05-16

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Aim: Many studies have found that high altitudes are associated with suicide. Despite numerous studies in the literature, the mechanism by which high altitude increases suicide rates is not known. In this study, we investigated whether divorce affects the suicide rate at high altitudes. Material and Method: Using publicly available data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), the average altitude above sea level, suicide rate, and divorce rate of each province over the last 14 years were calculated. Divorce rates, suicide rates, and altitudes were statistically compared at the end of the study. Results: The mean suicide rate did not differ according to altitude (r=0.112; p=0.322). The mean divorce rate differed according to altitude. The highest mean divorce rate was observed in the group with an altitude of less than 500 m (p<0.001). In the correlation analysis, it was found that altitude was negatively correlated with the divorce rate, divorce, and suicide rates were positively correlated, and in the regression analysis, high altitude and divorce rate increased the suicide rate (<0.05). Conclusion: Our study suggests that divorced people in high-altitude areas are in the high-risk group for suicide and that mental health protective interventions, especially for this group, may be appropriate for prevention. In conclusion, this study is important, as it is the first to investigate the relationship between altitude, divorce, and suicide. Larger-scale studies in which individual factors were excluded are required.
Keywords : Altitude, divorce, suicide, family ties, geographical region