Identifying Factors Affecting Attempt to Suicide in Izeh and Masjed Soleyman

While there is much discussion in the literature to lessen the importance of suicide attempt as contrasted with complete suicide, this action will be considered equally as grave in relation to its public health and psychological dimensions. Many attempts have been made to study the complex behavior of suicide. In these studies, a number of predictors have been implicated in attempt to suicidal behavior from different social, psychological, and biological dimensions. The aim of present study was identifying factors affecting attempt to suicide in Izeh and Masjed Soleyman.

The population of the study consists of all attempters to suicide in Izeh and Masjed Soleyman in 2016 and 2017. 103 suicide attempter's (72 females and 31 male) were selected using purposeful sampling. The design of the study was the correlational method or analysis of the correlation or covariance matrix. Researcher-made questionnaire and Inventory of Motivations for Suicide Attempts was used for assessing factors of attempt to suicide.

Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) extracted nine factors (54 items) as factors of attempt to suicide in Izeh and Masjed Soleyman. These factors were named: psychache and hopelessness, pressure to others/loneliness, help seeking, escaping from pain, problem solving, impulsiveness, benevolent to family, expressing anger/abhorrence and financial problems and employment. For suicide attempters, the situation was so painful that they sought to escape and had no hope that the situation would improve. Suicide attempters believed they neither loved anyone nor felt that someone loved them. They wanted others to know that they were not in good condition and did not feel well. For some who attempted suicide, it seemed to be a way of helping the family maintain a reputation or get rid of a troubled person. In some cases, the situation was so bad that the suicide attempter did not even hesitate to think. Sometimes the pain perceived by the individual was unbearable and suicide was a kind of release from this painful situation. Suicide attempters were looking for a way to solve their problems and believed that suicide was the best solution to their problem at a specific situation. Suicide attempt can be indicative of repressing strong feelings for oneself and others. Failure to fulfill daily needs, inadequate access to health and medical facilities, inability to provide housing, living in vulnerable neighborhoods and having problems in marriage and fulfilling the needs of children were examples of employment-related and income-related issues that put permanent psychological stress on individuals.

It looks as if psychological and interpersonal variables have the most influence on suicide attempt among which psychache and hopelessness are the most effective factors. Psychotherapists and counselors should pay particular attention to these factors in suicide cases.