Abstract

Background and purpose: Suicide is one of the most important social issues and a major cause of mortality in Iran. This study was conducted to evaluate the factors associated with suicide deaths in Eyvan, Iran. Materials and methods: Data of all registered suicide cases during 2005-2011 in Eyvan was obtained from the suicide registry in Ilam province. Chi-square test was used to evaluate the relationship between qualitative variables, and logistic regression multivariate analysis was performed to assess the association between potential risk factors and suicide. Results: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 820 cases (mean age: 24.9±9.7 years), including 395 (48.2) males and 425 (51.8) females, had attempted suicide. Suicide resulted in death in 56 (7.1) cases. The majority of the study population were single (64) and about 50 were unemployed. The most common methods of suicide were drug poisoning and self-immolation. There was a significant relationship between marital status, educational level, method of suicide, age (P<0.01), and time of the event (P<0.05) and the suicide outcome. Risk of death due to suicide was four times higher in married individuals, compared to single ones. Moreover, illiterate individuals were 80 more likely to die after suicide, compared to literate ones. Suicide through self-immolation caused death 12 times more than that of agricultural pesticides. Conclusion: According to this study, suicide is a serious problem in Eyvan district. Risk of death due to suicide was found to be higher in married and illiterate individuals, as well as those who committed suicide through self-immolation. These results could be of great use for taking preventive measures. © 2017, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.