Investigating the relationship between the demographic variables associated with suicide in different seasons, among suicidal people in the Shahid Mohammadi Hospital, Bandar Abass, Iran

Abstract

Introduction:

Suicide is committed by a person himself or herself and whether conscious or semiconscious it is aimed to end one's life. This action is not committed inadvertently or incongruously. However, it could be related to one's unmet needs and feelings of despair. Studies on the prevalence of suicide are related to environmental and seasonal circumstances. As there are diverse populations in Bandar Abbas of different races due to its geographical position, and as its weather condition is different from the other parts of country there is no study with this regard. Hence, the aim of this research is to investigate the correlations between and among demographical variables and suicide in different seasons of the year.

Materials and Methods:

This study is a cross-sectional one. Participants included 80 persons who had attempted suicide and were hospitalized within 2011 in the Ebnesina Hospital of Bandar Abases, Iran. The variables under investigation are the suicidal patients’ demographic characteristics, where, when, and how the person had committed suicide. All of these data were available in their profiles. These data were analyzed by using the SSPS software.

Results:

The results showed that 45% of the suicidal people were the young and adolescent. Also, 75.5% of these people were single and 22.5% of them were married. Most suicides occurred in summer, which makes up 41.3% of all the suicidal people. On the other hand 11.3% of the suicides were committed successfully and 88.7% of them had been unsuccessful; 42.5% of suicidal people had used drugs and 38.8% of them had used pesticides to commit suicide — 78.8% of these patients had psychotic disorders and 12.5% of them suffered from mental disorders such as schizophrenia. Furthermore, a significant relationship was found between seasons in which suicide was committed, marital status, age, mental illness, and educational and occupational characteristics of suicidal patients.

Conclusion:

This study showed that the most vulnerable people committing suicide were from among the young and adolescent. Singles had attempted suicide more than the married. Most of suicide attempters had used drugs to commit suicide. Generally, in the current study, some variables including season, marital status, age, history of mental illnesses, and educational and occupational variables were all associated with committing suicide.