Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37481129›Full record

ArticleJournal of affective disorders2023

Longitude-based time zone partitions and rates of suicide.

Daniel J Reis, Poyu Yen, Boris Tizenberg, Anurag Gottipati, Sonia Y Postolache, Demitria De Riggs, Morgan Nance, Alexandra Dagdag, Lynn Plater, Amanda Federline and 11 more

Open access · greenAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of affective disorders, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.4field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. The relationship between sleep and circadian-sleep phase angles based on dim light melatonin onset predicted from light and activity data.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2025
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

21 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.

Daniel J ReisVA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Veteran Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA. Electronic address: daniel.reis2@va.gov.
Poyu YenMood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Boris TizenbergMood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Anurag GottipatiMood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Sonia Y PostolacheMood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Demitria De RiggsVISN 5 Capitol Health Care Network Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Morgan NanceVA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Veteran Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
Alexandra DagdagMood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Lynn PlaterVISN 5 Capitol Health Care Network Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Amanda FederlineVISN 5 Capitol Health Care Network Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Riley GrassmeyerVA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Veteran Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA.
Aline DagdagMood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Faisal AkramMood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Psychiatry Residency Training, Saint Elizabeth's Hospital, Department of Behavioral Health, Washington, DC, USA.
Samia Valeria Ozorio DutraNancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA.
Claudia GragnoliDepartment of Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA; Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, NE, USA.
Jill A RachBeiselDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Janna VolkovMood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Psychiatry Residency Training, Saint Elizabeth's Hospital, Department of Behavioral Health, Washington, DC, USA.
Nazanin H BahrainiVA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Veteran Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
John W StillerMood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Saint Elizabeth's Hospital, Neurology Consultation Service, Washington, DC, USA; Maryland State Athletic Commission, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Lisa A BrennerVA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Veteran Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA; Military and Veteran Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE), Denver, CO, USA.
Teodor T PostolacheVA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center for Veteran Suicide Prevention, Aurora, CO, USA; Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; VISN 5 Capitol Health Care Network Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA; Military and Veteran Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE), Denver, CO, USA.
University of Maryland, Baltimore · USMental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers · USVA Capitol Health Care Network · USCreighton University · USDenver VA Medical Center · USUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa · US

Funding

Intramural VA VA999999
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIncreasing evidence suggests that conditions with decreased morning and increased evening light exposure, including shift work, daylight-saving time, and eveningness, are associated with elevated mortality and suicide risk. Given that the alignment between the astronomical, biological, and social time varies across a time zone, with later-shifted daylight exposure in the western partition, we hypothesized that western time zone partitions would have higher suicide rates than eastern partitions.

methodsUnited States (U.S.) county-level suicide and demographic data, from 2010 to 2018, were obtained from a Centers for Disease Control database. Using longitude and latitude, counties were sorted into the western, middle, or eastern partition of their respective time zones, as well as the northern and southern halves of the U.S. Linear regressions were used to estimate the associations between suicide rates and time zone partitions, adjusting for gender, race, ethnicity, age group, and unemployment rates.

resultsData were available for 2872 counties. Across the U.S., western partitions had statistically significantly higher rates of suicide compared to eastern partitions and averaged up to two additional yearly deaths per 100,000 people (p < .001). LIMITATIONS: Ecological design and limited adjustment for socioeconomic factors.

conclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first study of the relationship between longitude-based time zone partitions and suicide. The results were consistent with the hypothesized elevated suicide rates in the western partitions, and concordant with previous reports on cancer mortality and transportation fatalities. The next step is to retest the hypothesis with individual-level data, accounting for latitude, photoperiodic changes, daylight-saving time, geoclimatic variables, physical and mental health indicators, as well as socioeconomic adversity and protection.

Indexed as

SuicideEthnicityHumansMental HealthSocioeconomic FactorsUnited StatesCircadian adversityCircadian alignmentEcological analysisLight exposureSuicide rateTime zone partition

Identifiers

PMID37481129
PMCPMC10870927
OpenAlexW4384938095

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.