Are there Regional Disparities in Suicide Rates? Quantifying Suicide Rates? Quantifying Suicide Distributions for Queensland, 1990-2007

The study commences with a question that epidemiology would regard as 'old' viz. whether suicide rates are higher in rural areas or urban areas, and turns to applying an economic technique of analysis to studying regional suicide disparities. Several dispersion measures are applied to time series male and female suicide rates, including economic inequality measures and measures from regional studies. Equations are modelled on these dispersion measurements, establishing the sign on the slope coefficients. It is determined whether regional disparities in Queensland lessened, or increased, in the study period. The interpretations relevant to a regional studies literature are discussed.