Weather and Suicide: A Case-Control Study in East Taiwan
Date Issued
2005
Date
2005
Author(s)
Teng, Po-Ren
DOI
zh-TW
Abstract
Background: Studies investigating the relationship between weather and suicide were mostly conducted by ecological study design with equivocal results. No study has been conducted with a case-control design.
Aims: To examine the associations between weather and suicide in three ethnic groups in East Taiwan.
Method: Poisson regression analysis and conditional logistic regression analysis were conducted separately. The former, based on ecological study design, investigated the association between daily suicide count and daily weather parameters. The latter, based on case-control study design, investigated the difference in weather exposure between suicides and controls. Effects of weather on suicide risk were also investigated against methods of suicide (violent and non-violent) and personal characteristics.
Result: In Poisson regression model, elevated high temperature significantly increased suicide risk in female (p=0.049). In conditional logistic regression model, elevated mean humidity significantly increased suicide risk in all suicides (Odds Ratio 1.064, p=0.0012); in non-violent suicides, in both sexes and in non-elderly suicides, but not in violent and elderly suicides. The significant association between weather and suicide has remained after adjusting for the effect of substance dependent, emotionally unstable personality disorder, loss event and family history of suicidal behavior.
Conclusions: Elevated humidity significantly increased suicide risk in susceptible individuals. The effect of short-term weather condition on suicide is more significant in non-violent suicides. The influence of weather on suicide and its underlying mechanisms may differ with different methods of suicide.
Subjects
天氣
自殺
weather
suicide
SDGs
Type
thesis
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