Psychiatry Investig.  2014 Oct;11(4):492-494. 10.4306/pi.2014.11.4.492.

High Altitude Remains Associated with Elevated Suicide Rates after Adjusting for Socioeconomic Status: A Study from South Korea

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Korea University College of Medicine,Seoul, Republic of Korea. leehjeong@korea.ac.kr
  • 2Department of Medicine, Korea University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
  • 3Department of Biostatistics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
  • 4Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine,Seoul, Republic of Korea.
  • 5Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

There have been several studies supporting a possible relationship between high suicide rate and high altitude. However socioeconomic status may confound this association because low socioeconomic status, which is known to be related to a high suicide rate, is also associated with living at high altitude. This study aims to explore whether the relationship between high altitude and high suicide rate remains after adjusting for socioeconomic status in South Korea. We collected demographic data of completed suicides, the mean altitude of the district where each suicide took place, and the mean income of each district. We analyzed the data using regression analysis before and after adjustment for mean income. We found that there is a positive correlation between altitude and suicide rate, even after adjustment for mean income. Thus, altitude appears to be an independent risk factor for suicide.

Keyword

Suicide rate; Altitude; Socioeconomic status; South Korea

MeSH Terms

Altitude*
Korea
Risk Factors
Social Class*
Suicide*
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