Call for Papers: Topical Collection on Spatial Dimension of Deaths of Despair

Deaths of Despair (DoD) refer to the deaths involved drug overdose, chronic liver disease, and suicide, which have increased in the past two decades. Not only do they hinder the increase in life expectancy at birth in the United States, but also contribute to the decrease in life expectancy. The goal of this Topical Collection is to integrate spatial perspectives, broadly defined, into the explorations of the patterns, determinants, and dynamics of DoD. The result will be a strong body of research elucidating the relationships between space, place, and Deaths of Despair.

We seek manuscripts that explore the role of space/place in shaping the distribution of DoD, utilize spatialized theories, data, and methods to explain the geographic disparities in DoD, or investigate the implications of DoD for other health, social, or demographic outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic imposed unexpected stress on individual’s economic, physical, psychological, and social well-being. Under the circumstances, this Topical Collection is interested in studies that engage with questions about the changes in DoD during the pandemic from a spatial perspective. Relevant research themes include, but are not limited to:

• Documenting the spatial patterns or inequalities of DoD at different geographic resolutions or across the sociodemographic spectrum: We encourage submissions that use granular or geocoded spatial data to understand the spatial distribution of DoD in certain metropolitan areas, regions, or states. Moreover, we welcome research that compares the spatial patterns of DoD for different age, gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic groups.

• Using spatialized theories to understand the dynamics of DoD across spatial units: While most spatial methods take geographic proximity into account, there are other approaches to define the relationships among spatial units (e.g., migration flow). Research that emphasizes how to spatialize a theory and then use appropriate spatial methods to examine research hypotheses is strongly encouraged.

• Understanding the potential impact of COVID-19 pandemic on DoD: As the COVID-19 pandemic increased individual’s anxiety and social isolation, as well as uncertainty about future, these factors are strongly associated with DoD. However, relatively little research has explored the changes in spatial patterns of DoD during the pandemic. We encourage submissions that directly address this issue.

• Investigating the spatial and/or statistical heterogeneous associations between DoD and its determinants: Most spatial and non-spatial analysis methods assume homogeneity but there are reasons to expect heterogeneous relationships across space or the distribution of DoD. We welcome studies that examine how the determinants of DoD vary across space or changes by the level of DoD.

The Topical Collection will be coordinated by Tse-Chuan Yang (University at Albany, SUNY – e-mail: tyang3@albany.edu) and Seulki Kim (University of Nebraska-Lincoln – e-mail: skim36@unl.edu) with editorial support from Stephen A. Matthews (Penn State, USA – e-mail: sxm27@psu.edu). Please feel free to reach out to the organizers about the suitability of a manuscript for this Topical Collection. We particularly welcome submissions from researchers based on diverse regions and contexts and interdisciplinary submissions that integrate spatial demography with other fields.

Please submit your manuscript through the Springer Editorial Manager system, with a note on the cover letter stating that the submission is for consideration for the Topical Collection on Spatial Dimension of Deaths of Despair.

The Springer Submission guidelines can be found at: https://www.springer.com/journal/40980/submission-guidelines.