Exploring the epidemiology of suicide attempts: Risk modeling in Kermanshah-Iran

Motivations for suicide attempts and risk factors among youths in Western Iran: A cross-sectional study

Background and Aims

Suicide attempts are a fundamental problem in health care systems and are known for their complex and multifaceted nature. This study aimed to explore the reasons for suicide attempts and to identify associated factors in western Iran.

Methods

In Asadabad, western Iran, a cross-sectional study was carried out between April 2020 and March 2021. A nonrandom sampling method was used to select 110 participants, ages 15-35. Structured questionnaires such as the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and the Suicide Motivation Scale (IMSA) were used to gather the data. Multiple linear regression, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and independent t tests were all used in the data analysis.

Results

The majority of participants (59.1%) were female, with a mean age of 25.78 years. The most common reason for suicide attempts (43.6%) was family issues, and the most popular means (66.4%) were pills and medication. Eighty-nine percent of participants had symptoms of depression. The mean scores were calculated for motivation for suicide attempts (32.46 ± 16.11), depression (34.60 ± 20.50), and anxiety (34.14 ± 15.69). The analysis showed that the motivation for suicide attempts and anxiety was greater in single persons than in married and divorced persons (p < 0.05). Motivation for suicide attempts was also greater in low- to middle-income individuals with a history of divorce (p < 0.05). The multiple regression model showed that anxiety, sex, education, and medical history significantly influenced the motivation for suicide attempts (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The results showed that a wide range of social, economic, and cultural factors and psychiatric disorders, including anxiety and depression, are involved in suicide attempts. This study aimed to design interventions and strategies to prioritize mental health, improve life skills to control stressful events, and focus on high-risk groups (women, married people, people with low education levels, and those with a history of physical and mental illnesses) for suicide prevention in health promotion programs.

Investigation of the trend and related factors of suicide attempts and suicide deaths in southeast Iran during 2018-2022

Suicide is a major public health challenge worldwide with an increasing trend. Identifying risk factors for suicide attempts and suicide deaths may help find useful ways to prevent suicide. We aimed to determine the trend and related factors of suicide attempts and suicide deaths in Rafsanjan. This retrospective study included all suicide cases from 2018 to 2022 in Rafsanjan, a city in the southeast of Iran. The information was extracted from the suicide registration system of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. Univariable and multivariable logistics regression models were used to investigate factors affecting suicide death. A total of 2039 cases of suicide, including 1932 cases (94.75%) of suicide attempts and 107 cases (5.25%) of suicide deaths were recorded during the study period. The frequency of suicide deaths and suicide attempts per 100,000 people increased in 2022 compared to 2018 in both genders. In the adjusted model, the odds of suicide deaths in males was 6.48 (95% CI 3.39-12.42) times higher than in females. Also, the odds of suicide deaths in unemployed subjects and housewives were 2.64 (95% CI 1.50-4.67) and 7.45 (95% CI 3.08-18.07) times higher than employed subjects respectively. Finally, people with education less than a diploma had 10.85 (95% CI 1.48-79.54) times higher odds of suicide deaths compared to people with university education. The present research showed that the pattern of suicide has been increasing since 2018, and we may see an upward trend in the coming years, which requires further investigation and preventive measures. Male gender, low education level, unemployment, and being a housewife were associated with the highest frequency of suicide death.

The Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Suicide-related Emergency Calls in a European City: Age and Gender Patterns, and Neighborhood Influences

Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive spatio-temporal analysis of suicide-related emergency calls in the city of Valencia (Spain) over a six-year period. To this end we first examined age and gender patterns and, second, the influence of neighborhood characteristics on general and gender-specific spatio-temporal patterns of suicide-related emergency calls. Method: Geocoded data on suicide-related emergency calls between 2017 and 2022 (N = 10,030) were collected from the 112 emergency service in Valencia. Data were aggregated at the census block group level, used as a proxy for neighborhoods, and trimesters were considered as the temporal unit. Two set of analyses were performed: (1) demographic (age and gender) and temporal descriptive analyses and (2) general and gender-specific Bayesian spatio-temporal autoregressive models. Results: Descriptive analyses revealed a higher incidence of suicide-related emergency calls among females and an increase in calls among the 18-23 age group from 2020 onwards. The general spatio-temporal model showed higher levels of suicide-related emergency calls in neighborhoods characterized by lower education levels and population density, and higher residential mobility, aging population, and immigrant concentration. Relevant gender differences were also observed. A seasonal effect was noted, with a peak in calls during spring for females and summer for males. Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for comprehensive mental health targeted interventions and preventive strategies that account for gender-specific disparities, age-related vulnerabilities, and the specific characteristics of neighborhoods.

Poisoning in children and adolescents in Kermanshah city, Iran

BACKGROUND

Poisoning among children and adolescents is a public health problem worldwide. To take preventive measures, the pattern of this problem should be determined. This study aimed to describe the demographic characteristics of poisoning in children and to investigate the relationship between the types of poisoning and demographic factors in children in Kermanshah province.

METHODS

This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 250 children and adolescents under 18 years of age who were referred to Mohammad Kermanshahi Pediatric Hospital in Kermanshah province due to poisoning during 2019-2022. The demographic and epidemiological data of patients were extracted from their medical files and analyzed.

RESULTS

Out of 250 cases of poisoning, 173 (69.2%) cases were unintentional, 96 (55.5%) of whom were boys. Further, 77 (30.8%) cases of poisoning were intentional, of whom 49 (63.6%) were girls. There was a significant difference between gender and intentional and unintentional poisonings (p-value = 0.005). The median age of unintentional poisoning was 3 (IQR = 2.5) and that of intentional poisoning was 14 (IQR = 2). Most cases of poisoning were in cities, 145 (83.8%) of them were unintentional and 66 (85.7%) were intentional. Most cases of intentional and unintentional poisonings occurred in spring 2017 (35.1%) and autumn 2016 (34.6%), respectively. The most common causes of poisoning were narcotics (n = 36, 34.3%) and drugs (n = 35, 33.3%) in the age group 0-3 years and drugs (n = 46, 66.9) in the age group 11-18 years.

CONCLUSIONS

The most common causes of poisoning were narcotics and drugs in children and drugs in adolescents. To prevent poisoning in children, parents are required to increase their knowledge of the safe storage of narcotics and drugs, such as not storing methadone in a water bottle. Targeted evaluation and preventive measures are also needed in adolescent poisoning.

Evaluating the access of slum residents to healthcare centers in Kermanshah Metropolis, Iran (1996-2016): A spatial justice analysis

Background

Proper access to health care centres and services is one of the key indicators of health justice, and it is more than ever important in slums.

Objective

This aim of this research is to evaluate the accessibility of health care centres to slum residents in the Kermanshah metropolis, Iran during the period 1996-2016.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, data was obtained from the Census of Iran for the periods 1996, 2006 and 2016. Information on the number and location of health care centres was collected from the Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences. Network Analysis modelling method in Arc/GIS10.6 software was used to evaluate the accessibility of people to health centres.

Results

The results show that the spatial pattern of health centres in Kermanshah was random during 1996, 2006 and 2016, but the spatial pattern of poverty in the metropolis was clustered. In addition, the distribution of health centres was not consistent with the population densities. However, the overall population with inappropriate access to health centres in the slums of Kermanshah metropolis decreased over the study period (1996-54.02%, 2006-51.09%, and 2016-34.71%).

Conclusions

The findings of the study reveal that access to health care services by the slum population is not consistent with the increase of health care centres. This means that health policymakers were unsuccessful to provide the required health care services for the slums.