Sustainable Development of Geographical Environment

Sustainable Development of Geographical Environment

Geography of Suicide in Bijar City

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original article

Authors
Mohsen Kalantari
Saber Ghadimi
Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning، Faculty of Earth Sciences، Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
10.48308/sdge.2026.244950.1326
Abstract
Introduction: Suicide is one of the most serious social harms and public health concerns, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide each year and leaving extensive consequences for families and society. This phenomenon is not merely the result of individual and psychological factors; rather, it is shaped through the interaction of social, economic, cultural, and environmental conditions. In recent years, the increasing trend of suicide in Iran, along with regional inequalities, has highlighted the need for place-based approaches. Despite the expansion of studies on the geography of suicide in different countries, spatial research in this field remains limited in Iran. Therefore, the present study is one of the first domestic studies to examine the geography of suicide in Bijar city using spatial analysis methods. The main objective of this research is to identify the spatial pattern of suicide in Bijar city and to examine the extent to which common geographical characteristics exist among different gender groups in suicide attempts.
Materials and Methods: This study employed a descriptive–analytical design with a spatial approach. Data on registered suicide attempt events in Bijar City during 2021–2024 were collected and analyzed using ArcMap after data preparation. Ripley’s K function was applied to examine the overall spatial pattern of the events, Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) was used to visualize the spatial distribution and identify areas with higher concentrations of recorded events, Global Moran’s I and Local Moran’s I were employed to investigate spatial autocorrelation and neighborhood patterns of the recorded events by gender, and Getis–Ord Gi* was used to identify statistically significant spatial clusters.
Results and Discussion: The findings indicated that the registered suicide attempt events in Bijar City exhibited a clustered and non-random spatial pattern. Ripley’s K function confirmed a clustered structure across all examined distance scales, while Kernel Density Estimation revealed a heterogeneous and multicenter distribution of recorded events, with the highest concentrations located in the central and southern parts of the city and moderate concentrations in the northwestern and eastern areas. Furthermore, Global Moran’s I demonstrated a significant positive spatial autocorrelation in the spatial distribution of recorded events by gender. The results of Local Moran’s I and Getis–Ord Gi* also revealed differences in the spatial organization of recorded events between women and men, with a relatively greater concentration of recorded events among women in the peripheral areas and a relatively greater concentration of recorded events among men in the central and southern parts of the city. These findings reflect differences in the neighborhood structure and relative spatial concentration of recorded events by gender and should not be interpreted as differences in suicide rates or suicide risk between women and men.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that the distribution of registered suicide attempt events in Bijar City follows a clustered and non-random spatial pattern. Spatial analyses revealed greater concentrations of recorded events in specific parts of the city as well as differences in the spatial organization of recorded events between women and men. These patterns may be interpreted in light of structural, social, cultural, and environmental factors. Since the density maps represent only the spatial distribution of recorded events, the findings should not be interpreted as reflecting the actual suicide rate or population risk. Therefore, place-based preventive interventions that simultaneously consider the social and gender-related characteristics of each area may contribute to improving the effectiveness of suicide prevention programs
Keywords
Geography of Suicide
Spatial Analysis
Bijar City
Subjects
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Sustainable Development of Geographical Environment

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 05 August 2026