Variation of Suicide and Homicide Rates by Longitude and Latitude

Lester, David; Shephard, R J

doi:10.2466/pms.1998.87.1.186

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…In terms of orientation, shape, and steepness of these gradients, the spatial pattern of European suicide rates is very different from that found in ecologic analyses of geographic areas of comparable size on other continents, e.g., for the United States (Lester, 1970(Lester, , 1971(Lester, , 1980(Lester, , 1985a(Lester, , 1986a(Lester, , 1986b(Lester, , 1986(Lester, /87, 1987a(Lester, , 1987b(Lester, , 1988(Lester, , 1989(Lester, , 1991(Lester, , 1995a(Lester, , 1995b(Lester, , 1996(Lester, , 1999Stanger, Cullinane, & Hicks, 1986;Lester & Shephard, 1998), Canada, or Australia (Lester, 1985b). Most importantly, the J-shaped belt comprised of the countries rankmg highest in European suicide rates maps onto the second principal component identified for European gene distribution, representing the ancestral adaptation to cold climates and the Urahc language dispersion (Cavalli-Sforza & Cavalh-Sforza, 1995;Sykes, 2001).…”

Section: Drscussro~mentioning

confidence: 67%

The Finno-Ugrian Suicide Hypothesis: Variation in European Suicide Rates by Latitude and Longitude

Voracek

Fisher

Marušič³

2003

Percept Mot Skills

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The marked variation regarding the suicide rate in 34 European countries is well described by regressing the national suicide rate on the capital cities' latitudes and on an interaction term of squared latitude multiplied with longitude. The interaction term explains 40.8% and 29.1% of men's and women's suicide rate, respectively, and latitude explains a further significant increment of 10.9% and 10.6% variance of men's and women's suicide rate, respectively. This regression model quantifies the Finno-Ugrian suicide hypothesis of Kondrichin and of Marusic and Farmer. The European countries highest in suicide rate constitute a contiguous, J-shaped belt, spanning from Finland to Austria. This area maps onto the second principal component identified for European gene distribution, representing ancestral adaptation to cold climates and the Uralic language dispersion. Thus, population differences in genetic risk factors may account for the spatial pattern in European suicide rates.

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Section: Drscussro~mentioning

confidence: 67%

The Finno-Ugrian Suicide Hypothesis: Variation in European Suicide Rates by Latitude and Longitude

Voracek

Fisher

Marušič³

2003

Percept Mot Skills

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“…When examined in a geographical context, suicide rates in the United States have a distinct east-west pattern with higher rates generally occurring in the western portion of the country, a pattern that has persisted for well over a century (Lester, 1980(Lester, , 1997. Prior to the development of more advanced spatial statistics, geographic variables such as longitude (Lester, 1995(Lester, , 1997Lester and Shepard, 1998) and region of the country (Denney et al, 2009;Kposowa, 2000) were used as spatial proxies to investigate the significance of this spatial pattern. Bayesian techniques (Chang et al, 2011) as well as spatial econometrics (Baller & Richardson, 2002) have likewise been used to account for the spatial autocorrelation in suicide data.…”

Section: Research Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographic variation in male suicide rates in the United States

2015

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“…The J curve area maps on to the second principal component identified for European gene distribution, representing the ancestral adaptation to cold climates and the Uralic language dispersion [Cavalli-Sforza and Cavalli-Sforza, 1995;Sykes, 2001]. Voracek et al [2003] also mentioned that in terms of orientation, shape, and steepness of these gradients, the spatial pattern of European suicide rates is very different from that found in ecologic analyses of geographic areas of comparable size in other continents, e.g., for the United States, Canada, or Australia [Lester, 1985;Lester and Shephard, 1998]. …”

Section: The J Curve Hypothesis: From Urals To Finland and Sloveniamentioning

confidence: 99%

History and geography of suicide: Could genetic risk factors account for the variation in suicide rates?

Marušič¹

2005

American J of Med Genetics Pt C

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The current state of knowledge of genetic predisposition towards the suicidal behavior allows for a question whether genetic risk factors account for the variation in suicide rates through time and space. Accordingly, the presented paper will attempt to tackle the genetics behind suicidal behavior from the perspective of the populational genetics. First, the variability of suicide rates across Europe is discussed. This is followed by a brief discussion of the J curve (on a map of Europe, the countries with a higher suicide rate form a so-called J curve, which starts in Finland and extends down to Slovenia), which maps on to the second principal component identified for European gene distribution, representing the ancestral adaptation to cold climates and the Uralic language dispersion. Furthermore, we will discuss whether the group of people living within the J-curve could share genes, which may not tolerate excessive amounts alcohol, the combination of which is more likely to end in suicidal behavior. Further along we list possible ways in which suicidal behaviour could have been selected for genetically in populations and identify those specific populations in which it may have appeared. Finally, we point at other locations in the world where a similar interplay of genes and environment has probably occurred, Greenland being the best example of the malignant interaction of alcohol consumption and the trait-like characteristics, which might constitute the vulnerability to suicidal behaviour.

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Variation of Suicide and Homicide Rates by Longitude and Latitude

Abstract: State suicide rates in 1980 varied gradually, rather than abruptly, with longitude, as did homicide rates with latitude.

Cited by 11 publications

References 0 publications

The Finno-Ugrian Suicide Hypothesis: Variation in European Suicide Rates by Latitude and Longitude

The Finno-Ugrian Suicide Hypothesis: Variation in European Suicide Rates by Latitude and Longitude

Geographic variation in male suicide rates in the United States

History and geography of suicide: Could genetic risk factors account for the variation in suicide rates?

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