Air Pollutants and Suicide Rate: A Cross-sectional Time Series Analysis

空氣汙染物與自殺：斷面時序分析

蔡瑞峰(Jui-Feng Tsai)

《台灣精神醫學》 28卷1期 (2014/03) Pp. iii+38-45

摘要

Objectives: Recently, studies have shown a positive relationship between air pollutants and suicide. But, the previous studies did not take other significant factors into consideration. The present study was intended to explore the relationship between the air pollutant concentrations and suicide rate by cross-sectional time series analysis considering other significant factors simultaneously. Methods: I gathered the annual suicide rates, socioeconomic parameters, meteorological data, and concentrations of five air pollutants-sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM10)-in Taiwan during 1994-2009. Then, I did a pooled cross-sectional time series analysis. Results: Random effect model was identified as the final model, indicating the spouseless population having the most significant risk factor for suicide (z=4.27, p＜0.001). PM10 was also found to play a significant rôle in suicide (z=2.56, p＜0.05); while SO2, NO2, O3, and CO were found to be nonsignificant. Conclusion: The results identify PM10 as a possible risk factor for suicide. The present findings complement previous studies by providing the viewpoint from a longer aspect as well as a broader cross-sectional distribution, with the consideration of some more potential confounders.

關鍵字

空氣污染物 ； 自殺 ； 斷面時序分析 ； 粒徑10微米以下之粒狀污染物(PM10)

並列摘要

Objectives: Recently, studies have shown a positive relationship between air pollutants and suicide. But, the previous studies did not take other significant factors into consideration. The present study was intended to explore the relationship between the air pollutant concentrations and suicide rate by cross-sectional time series analysis considering other significant factors simultaneously. Methods: I gathered the annual suicide rates, socioeconomic parameters, meteorological data, and concentrations of five air pollutants-sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM10)-in Taiwan during 1994-2009. Then, I did a pooled cross-sectional time series analysis. Results: Random effect model was identified as the final model, indicating the spouseless population having the most significant risk factor for suicide (z=4.27, p＜0.001). PM10 was also found to play a significant rôle in suicide (z=2.56, p＜0.05); while SO2, NO2, O3, and CO were found to be nonsignificant. Conclusion: The results identify PM10 as a possible risk factor for suicide. The present findings complement previous studies by providing the viewpoint from a longer aspect as well as a broader cross-sectional distribution, with the consideration of some more potential confounders.

並列關鍵字

air pollutants ； cross-sectional time series analysis ； suicide

參考文獻

Tsai, JF(2010).Socioeconomic factors outweigh climate in the regional difference of suicide death rate in Taiwan.Psychiatry Res.179,212-6.

Tsai, JF,Cho, W(2011).The secular trend of suicide rate and the socio-economic, media, and climatic factors in Taiwan, 1976-2009: a population-based study.J Affect Disord.129,270-4.

Lee, HC,Lin, HC,Tsai, SY,Li, CY,Chen, CC,Huang, CC(2006).Suicide rates and the association with climate: a population-based study.J Affect Disord.92,221-6.

Kim, C,Jung, SH,Kang, DR(2010).Ambient particulate matter as a risk factor for suicide.Am J Psychiatry.167,1100-7.

Yang, AC,Tsai, SJ,Huang, NE(2011).Decomposing the association of completed suicide with air pollution, weather, and unemployment data at different time scales.J Affect Disord.129,275-81.