Kim U-Ram, Sung Hyungun
Department of Urban and Regional Development, Graudate School of Urban Studies, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 04763, Korea.
Center for Housing Policy Research, Seoul Metropolitan Government, 04514, Korea.
Cities. 2022 Aug;127:103725. doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2022.103725. Epub 2022 May 4.
Globally, the increased suicide rate of the general population has become a concern not only because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also because of its associated socioeconomic insecurity, loss of jobs, and economic shocks. This study employed robust fixed-effects panel models to empirically identify the mitigating effects of infectious diseases, via urban parks, on the suicide rate, and to examine gender differences in this regard, based on previous experiences in Seoul, Korea. We found that the differentiating mitigating effect did not significantly affect suicide rates during the 2015 MERS epidemic. However, during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, wherein the number of confirmed cases was very high and diffused nationwide, urban parks significantly reduced the suicide rates for both men and women. The role of parks as a mitigator was more enhanced in cities with a high number of confirmed cases if it was associated with economic shocks. However, this effect was significant only in the suicide rates of men, not women. During a pandemic, urban parks can help maintain social interaction and sustain physical activities (i.e., walking and exercise) while maintaining physical distance. National and local governments should develop urban parks to actively control the suicide rate influenced by movement restriction measures inevitably occurring during the spread of infectious diseases.
在全球范围内，普通人群自杀率上升已成为一个令人担忧的问题，这不仅是由于新冠疫情，还因为其相关的社会经济不安全、失业和经济冲击。本研究采用稳健的固定效应面板模型，以韩国首尔以往的经验为基础，通过城市公园实证确定传染病对自杀率的缓解作用，并考察这方面的性别差异。我们发现，在2015年中东呼吸综合征疫情期间，这种差异化的缓解作用对自杀率没有显著影响。然而，在2009年甲型H1N1流感大流行期间，确诊病例数量非常高且在全国范围内扩散，城市公园显著降低了男性和女性的自杀率。如果公园与经济冲击相关，那么在确诊病例数量较多的城市，公园作为缓解因素的作用会更加强化。然而，这种影响仅在男性自杀率中显著，对女性则不然。在大流行期间，城市公园有助于在保持身体距离的同时维持社交互动和持续进行体育活动（如散步和锻炼）。国家和地方政府应发展城市公园，以积极控制受传染病传播期间不可避免的行动限制措施影响的自杀率。
