Epidemiology of Suicide/Suicide Attempt and Its Association with Individual, Family, and Social Factors in Eastern Part of Iran: A Historical Cohort Study

Abstract

Background: Suicide/suicide attempt, as a major public health problem, has been included among anti-social behaviors. We aimed to investigate the epidemiology of suicide and some associated individual, family, and social factors. Methods: A historical cohort study was conducted among all cases (748 persons) reports related to suicide/suicide attempt that register in hospital reporting system and health care center in Gonabad and Bajestan, Iran, from 2009 to 2014. The required data were extracted through a checklist. Descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and analytic statistics (t-test, Chi-square, and logistic regression) applied to analyzed data. All data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: Of the 748 reported suicide attempters, 17 cases (2.3%) had completed suicide. The annual average incidence rate of suicide was 110.03 per 100,000 populations. The mean age of suicide attempt had significantly decreased during the time (P=0.007). Furthermore, a significant association was observed between outcome of suicide and place of residence (P=0.019), history of physical illnesses (P=0.002), and method of suicide (P=0.001). Conclusion: Due to trend of age among suicide attempters, considering intervention programs of suicide prevention for school pupils and university students especially individuals residing in rural areas, as well as individuals suffering from physical illness would be effective to reduce the rate of suicide.