Correlating heatwaves and relative humidity with suicide (fatal intentional self-harm).

ABSTRACT: Empirical evidence suggests that the effects of anthropogenic climate change, and heat in particular, could have a significant impact on mental health. This article investigates the correlation between heatwaves and/or relative humidity and suicide (fatal intentional self-harm) on a global scale. The covariance between heat/humidity and suicide was modelled using a negative binomial Poisson regression with data from 60 countries between 1979-2016. Statistically significant increases and decreases in suicide were found, as well as many cases with no significant correlation. We found that relative humidity showed a more significant correlation with suicide compared to heatwaves and that both younger age groups and women seemed to be more significantly affected by changes in humidity and heat

SUBMITTER: Florido Ngu F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8593067 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature