Volume 16, Issue 3 (May & June 2026)
J Research Health 2026, 16(3): 267-274 |
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Ethics code: IR.MEDILAM.REC.1400.050
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Naeem Kareem H, Salam H. Al-Salih S, Hamza Hermis A, K. Hajwal S, Kareem Jawad M, Mohamadian F et al . The Relationship Between the Misery Index, Socio-demographic Index, and Suicide: A 10-year Analysis. J Research Health 2026; 16 (3) :267-274
URL: http://jrh.gmu.ac.ir/article-1-2924-en.html
URL: http://jrh.gmu.ac.ir/article-1-2924-en.html
Hasan Naeem Kareem1 
, Sadiq Salam H. Al-Salih1 , Alaa Hamza Hermis1 , Salim K. Hajwal2 , Mustafa Kareem Jawad3 , Fathola Mohamadian4 , Yousef Veisani5
, Sadiq Salam H. Al-Salih1 , Alaa Hamza Hermis1 , Salim K. Hajwal2 , Mustafa Kareem Jawad3 , Fathola Mohamadian4 , Yousef Veisani5
1- College of Nursing, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Al-Diwaniyah, Iraq.
2- College of Nursing, Al-Mustaqbal University, Babil, Iraq.
3- College of Nursing, AL-Mustafa University, Baghdad, Iraq.
4- Department of Psychology, Non-communicable Diseases Research Center, School of Medicine, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.
5- Psychosocial Injuries Research Center, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran. ,yousefveisani@yahoo.com
2- College of Nursing, Al-Mustaqbal University, Babil, Iraq.
3- College of Nursing, AL-Mustafa University, Baghdad, Iraq.
4- Department of Psychology, Non-communicable Diseases Research Center, School of Medicine, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.
5- Psychosocial Injuries Research Center, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran. ,
Abstract: (71 Views)
Background: This longitudinal ecological study aimed to assess associations between suicide incidence and two composite indices—the misery index and the socio-demographic index (SDI)—in Ilam Province, Iran, from 2010 to 2019.
Methods: We conducted a longitudinal ecological study. Monthly suicide counts from the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization were standardized to rates per 100,000 population and linked to monthly misery index values and annual SDI scores. Descriptive statistics and temporal plots summarized trends. Pearson correlation quantified bivariate relationships. Multivariable linear regression with robust standard errors, adjusted for calendar year and monthly seasonality, estimated independent associations. Sensitivity analyses employing lagged misery index values are detailed in a supplementary appendix.
Results: Suicide rates declined from a peak of 35.71 per 100,000 population in 2010, while SDI rose from 0.620 to 0.670 by 2019. The misery index showed a weak positive correlation with suicide rates (r=0.218), while SDI correlated moderately negatively (r=-0.704). In adjusted models, a higher SDI was strongly associated with lower suicide rates (β=-355.3, P=0.02). The misery index showed a small, non-significant positive association (β=0.15, P=0.38). Sensitivity analyses yielded consistent findings.
Conclusion: In Ilam Province, long-term sociodemographic improvements were strongly associated with reduced suicide incidence, whereas short-term economic distress showed a weaker, non-significant independent association. Public health strategies prioritizing education, income growth, and health services may be associated with sustained reductions in suicide; however, these ecological findings require further individual-level research to confirm causal pathways.
Methods: We conducted a longitudinal ecological study. Monthly suicide counts from the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization were standardized to rates per 100,000 population and linked to monthly misery index values and annual SDI scores. Descriptive statistics and temporal plots summarized trends. Pearson correlation quantified bivariate relationships. Multivariable linear regression with robust standard errors, adjusted for calendar year and monthly seasonality, estimated independent associations. Sensitivity analyses employing lagged misery index values are detailed in a supplementary appendix.
Results: Suicide rates declined from a peak of 35.71 per 100,000 population in 2010, while SDI rose from 0.620 to 0.670 by 2019. The misery index showed a weak positive correlation with suicide rates (r=0.218), while SDI correlated moderately negatively (r=-0.704). In adjusted models, a higher SDI was strongly associated with lower suicide rates (β=-355.3, P=0.02). The misery index showed a small, non-significant positive association (β=0.15, P=0.38). Sensitivity analyses yielded consistent findings.
Conclusion: In Ilam Province, long-term sociodemographic improvements were strongly associated with reduced suicide incidence, whereas short-term economic distress showed a weaker, non-significant independent association. Public health strategies prioritizing education, income growth, and health services may be associated with sustained reductions in suicide; however, these ecological findings require further individual-level research to confirm causal pathways.
Keywords: Suicide, Socioeconomic factors, Unemployment, Inflation, Iran, Time series analysis, Sociodemographic index
Type of Study: Orginal Article |
Subject:
● Psychosocial Health
Received: 2025/09/28 | Accepted: 2025/12/14 | Published: 2026/03/14
Received: 2025/09/28 | Accepted: 2025/12/14 | Published: 2026/03/14
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