Schrodinger equation with position-dependent mass (PDM) allows the identification of quantum wave functions in a complex environment. Following the progress of this investigation field, in this work, we consider the non-Hermitian kinetic operators associated with the PDM Schrodinger equation. We provide a simplified picture for PDM quantum systems that admit exact solutions in confining potentials. First, we investigate the solutions for a sinusoidal and an exponential PDM distributions in an infinite potential well. Next, we consider the solutions for a PDM harmonic oscillator potential associated with a power-law PDM distribution. The results presented in this work offer a way to approach new classes of solutions for PDM quantum systems in confining potential (bound states). Complementarily, we interpret the quantum partition function of the canonical ensemble of a PDM system in the context of the superstatistics, which, in turn, allows us to express the inhomogeneity of the PDM in terms of beta distribution $$f(\beta )$$ , Dirac delta distributions for $$f(\beta )$$ , and effective temperatures. Our results are, hereby, reported for the sinusoidal and the exponential PDM distributions.