Gender and Spatial Disparities of Suicide Mortality Risk in Kermanshah Province, Iran: A Brief Report

Abstract

In Iran, the estimated rate of complete suicide (2006–10) was about five per 100,000 population [1]. Several sociodemographic and economic factors (such as average household expenditure, unemployment rate, and divorce rate) were positively associated with suicide mortality [2]. In addition, marital problems and family conflicts are the two well-known familial risk factors for suicide [3]. Iran’s western provinces have a higher suicide rate compared to the other provinces in the country [1,4]. In addition, Kermanshah province has a noticeably higher suicide rate compared to the national average [1,5]. A previous study conducted in Kermanshah has also reported multiple individual level factors associated with the risk of attempted or completed suicide [6]. Determining the temporal and seasonal patterns of disease helps identify different spatial patterns over time and improve our understanding of the risk factors affecting the distribution of disease and death across the population and set them in the form of geographical maps [5,7]. Meanwhile, a previous ecological study has been conducted to visualize spatial heterogeneity in suicide mortality risk across the counties of the province [8]. Therefore, to improve preventive measures, a better understanding of the distribution of suicide at the national and subnational levels is important. So, the aim of this study is to update spatial variations in the risk of complete suicide across the counties of Kermanshah province, the most populated western province of Iran. 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS