The Profile of Self-Harm and Suicide in Iran Considering Gender Differences: A Multicenter Study Affiliated with the National Trauma Registry of Iran

Zahra Ramezani; Vafa Rahimi-Movaghar; Mohammadreza Zafarghandi; Esmaeil Fakharian; Seyed Houssein Saeed-Banadaky; Homayoun Sadeghi-Bazargani; Yousef Mohammadpour; Reza Farahmand Rad; Farideh Sadeghian; Mehdi Nasr Isfahani; Vahid Rahmanian; Amir Ghadipasha; Mohammad Shahidi; Seyed Mohammad Piri; Khatereh Naghdi; Payman Salamati

doi:10.18502/ijps.v19i3.15805

Zahra Ramezani Sina Trauma and Surgery Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Vafa Rahimi-Movaghar Sina Trauma and Surgery Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammadreza Zafarghandi Sina Trauma and Surgery Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Esmaeil Fakharian Trauma Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
Seyed Houssein Saeed-Banadaky Trauma Research Center, Rahnemoon Hospital, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
Homayoun Sadeghi-Bazargani Road Traffic Injury Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Yousef Mohammadpour Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
Reza Farahmand Rad Clinical Research Development Center, Imam Ali and Taleghani Hospitals, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
Farideh Sadeghian Center for Health-Related Social and Behavioral Sciences Research, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran.
Mehdi Nasr Isfahani Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Vahid Rahmanian Research Center for Social Determinants of Health, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran.
Amir Ghadipasha Shahid Modarres Hospital, Saveh University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Shahidi Department of Emergency Medicine, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran.
Seyed Mohammad Piri Sina Trauma and Surgery Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Khatereh Naghdi Sina Trauma and Surgery Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Payman Salamati Sina Trauma and Surgery Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijps.v19i3.15805

Keywords: Self-Harm; Suicide; Trauma; Registry; Gender

Abstract

Objective: The main objective of this study was to determine various characteristics and outcomes of self-harm and suicide in men and women with data obtained from the National Trauma Registry of Iran (NTRI).

Method: This retrospective multicenter study using data from the NTRI included all patients who went to the emergency department (ED) due to self-harm and suicide, considering the NTRI's specific inclusion criteria, from September 2016 to January 2023. We evaluated patients regarding demographics and clinical characteristics, various outcomes, and factors influencing in-hospital death. Statistical analyses were conducted using the STATA software version 15.0. The chi-square test was used to compare the distribution of variables between men and women. Also, the logistic regression models were applied to assess the predictors of in-hospital death.

Results: Self-harm and suicide cases were gathered from eleven geographically diverse hospitals across the country, and our study included 511 men and 347 women out of 50,661 registered trauma cases. Among them, 443 men (86.7%) and 267 women (76.9%) were between 18 and 49 years old (P < 0.001). Single women constituted 130 (37.3%) of the female cases, while single men were 313 (61.6%) of the male cases (P < 0.001). The three most common methods among our patients were poisoning with 234 (45.8%) of men and 245 (70.6%) of women cases, stab/cut with 208 (40.7%) of men and 54 (15.6%) of women cases, and fall with 16 (3.1%) of men and 26 (7.5%) of women cases (P < 0.001). The risk of death in patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 3 to 8 was 46.22 (95% CI = 18.66 to 114.45) times more than patients with a GCS score of 13 to 15.

Conclusion: Data on self-harm and suicide traumatology were gathered from eleven hospitals in Iran. Our findings indicated differences in the distribution of age and marital status between genders. Moreover, both genders used similar methods for self-harm and suicide, and gender did not affect the outcome.