Epidemiological analysis of self-harm and suicide attempts in Iran: a cross-sectional study in Kurdistan’s emergency hospitals

Abstract Background Self-harm and suicide are major global public health issues, especially in low- and middle-income nations. Finding trends and risk factors is essential to creating successful solutions. The purpose of this study was to look into the risk factors and epidemiological characteristic...

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Main Authors: Armin Saedi, Bakhtiar Piroozi, Ghobad Moradi, Media Babahajiani, Kourosh akhbari, Leila Azizkhani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-07-01
Series:International Journal of Emergency Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12245-025-00913-4
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author Armin Saedi
Bakhtiar Piroozi
Ghobad Moradi
Media Babahajiani
Kourosh akhbari
Leila Azizkhani
author_facet Armin Saedi
Bakhtiar Piroozi
Ghobad Moradi
Media Babahajiani
Kourosh akhbari
Leila Azizkhani
author_sort Armin Saedi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Self-harm and suicide are major global public health issues, especially in low- and middle-income nations. Finding trends and risk factors is essential to creating successful solutions. The purpose of this study was to look into the risk factors and epidemiological characteristics of self-harm and suicide attempts among patients who were hospitalized to the emergency rooms at Kurdistan hospitals in 2021–2022. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 604 cases of self-harm and suicide attempts. Data were extracted from medical records, including demographic, clinical, and social variables. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (version 24), employing chi-square tests to determine associations between variables and outcomes. Results The majority of patients (48.8%) were male, and the most affected age group was 17–40 years. Recovery or fatality outcomes were significantly associated with gender (p < 0.05), age group (p < 0.01), and method of self-harm (p < 0.001). Drug overdose (71%) was the most common method, with a recovery rate of 88% (p < 0.01), while hanging had the highest fatality rate at 40% (p < 0.001). Among the cases, 83.6% were discharged after treatment, while 16.4% resulted in death due to suicide attempts. Conclusion The study identifies important clinical and demographic trends linked to suicide attempts and self-harm. Young adults, people with long-term medical or mental health issues, and those who are struggling financially should all be the focus of preventive programs. To lower the suicide rate, public health initiatives must give mental health services and community awareness campaigns first priority.
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spelling doaj-art-3f8466bdfba542828545f85ed05a3cd92025-08-20T03:45:40ZengBMCInternational Journal of Emergency Medicine1865-13802025-07-011811710.1186/s12245-025-00913-4Epidemiological analysis of self-harm and suicide attempts in Iran: a cross-sectional study in Kurdistan’s emergency hospitalsArmin Saedi0Bakhtiar Piroozi1Ghobad Moradi2Media Babahajiani3Kourosh akhbari4Leila Azizkhani5Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical SciencesSocial Determinants of Health Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical SciencesSocial Determinants of Health Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical SciencesStudent Research Committee, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Kosar Hospital, Kurdistan University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Kosar Hospital, Kurdistan University of Medical SciencesAbstract Background Self-harm and suicide are major global public health issues, especially in low- and middle-income nations. Finding trends and risk factors is essential to creating successful solutions. The purpose of this study was to look into the risk factors and epidemiological characteristics of self-harm and suicide attempts among patients who were hospitalized to the emergency rooms at Kurdistan hospitals in 2021–2022. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 604 cases of self-harm and suicide attempts. Data were extracted from medical records, including demographic, clinical, and social variables. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (version 24), employing chi-square tests to determine associations between variables and outcomes. Results The majority of patients (48.8%) were male, and the most affected age group was 17–40 years. Recovery or fatality outcomes were significantly associated with gender (p < 0.05), age group (p < 0.01), and method of self-harm (p < 0.001). Drug overdose (71%) was the most common method, with a recovery rate of 88% (p < 0.01), while hanging had the highest fatality rate at 40% (p < 0.001). Among the cases, 83.6% were discharged after treatment, while 16.4% resulted in death due to suicide attempts. Conclusion The study identifies important clinical and demographic trends linked to suicide attempts and self-harm. Young adults, people with long-term medical or mental health issues, and those who are struggling financially should all be the focus of preventive programs. To lower the suicide rate, public health initiatives must give mental health services and community awareness campaigns first priority.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12245-025-00913-4SuicideSelf-harmEpidemiologyPublic healthRisk factorsMental health
spellingShingle Armin Saedi
Bakhtiar Piroozi
Ghobad Moradi
Media Babahajiani
Kourosh akhbari
Leila Azizkhani
Epidemiological analysis of self-harm and suicide attempts in Iran: a cross-sectional study in Kurdistan’s emergency hospitals
International Journal of Emergency Medicine
Suicide
Self-harm
Epidemiology
Public health
Risk factors
Mental health
title Epidemiological analysis of self-harm and suicide attempts in Iran: a cross-sectional study in Kurdistan’s emergency hospitals
title_full Epidemiological analysis of self-harm and suicide attempts in Iran: a cross-sectional study in Kurdistan’s emergency hospitals
title_fullStr Epidemiological analysis of self-harm and suicide attempts in Iran: a cross-sectional study in Kurdistan’s emergency hospitals
title_full_unstemmed Epidemiological analysis of self-harm and suicide attempts in Iran: a cross-sectional study in Kurdistan’s emergency hospitals
title_short Epidemiological analysis of self-harm and suicide attempts in Iran: a cross-sectional study in Kurdistan’s emergency hospitals
title_sort epidemiological analysis of self harm and suicide attempts in iran a cross sectional study in kurdistan s emergency hospitals
topic Suicide
Self-harm
Epidemiology
Public health
Risk factors
Mental health
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12245-025-00913-4
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