Regional suicide disparities in Queensland: temporal measurement and interpretation

Abstract

By applying the relevant economic techniques for studying regional disparities to regional data on suicide in Queensland, this study establishes an important temporal aspect of suicide that does not belong to the domain of epidemiology. Equations are modelled on several dispersion measures. The sign on the slope coefficient determines whether regional disparities in Queensland have lessened or increased through time. At a time when concern about social and economic fragmentation exists, it is vital to inform regional policy by results that apply the relevant quantification technique. Interpretations appropriate to this literature are discussed.