Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences

ISSN: 1858-5051

High-impact research on the latest developments in medicine and healthcare across MENA and Africa

Threads of Vulnerability: A Cross-sectional Study on Factors Associated with Suicide and Self-harm in Pakistan

Published date: Jun 28 2024

Journal Title: Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences

Issue title: Sudan JMS: Volume 19 (2024), Issue No. 2

Pages: 173–187

DOI: 10.18502/sjms.v19i2.13906

Authors:

Shaib Muhammad - shoaibmuhammadumrani@gmail.com - https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4030-5362

Rabbiya Ahmad - rabbiyaahmad@gmail.com - https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0648-6825

Pushp Lata Rajpoot

Rafia Tabassum - rafiatabassum2013@gmail.com - https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1768-0711

Muhammad Saleh Khaskheli - beesaleh@hotmail.com - https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9699-2152

Jabbas Abbas - jabbarabbas1@gmail.com

Razia Sultana - drraziasultana69@gmail.com

Shahida Tabassum - shahida.tabassum@wum.edu.pk - https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6660-3195

Narendar Kumar - nkumar.bhojak@usindh.edu.pk - https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2648-3915

Abstract:

Background: Globally, over a million people commit suicide every year. Although suicide rates are more in high-income countries, many countries do not report suicide cases regularly to the World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore, this study aimed to determine the factors associated with suicide and self-harm in Pakistan.

Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Peoples Medical College Hospital (PMCH) in Shaheed Benazirabad, Sindh, Pakistan, from July to December 2019. A total of 131 cases of suicide/self-harm were included using a convenience sampling technique. Data were collected on a predesigned questionnaire consisting of 14 close-ended questions. A chi-square test was used to determine the association between different categorical variables.

Results: The majority of the subjects were males (53.4%), young adults aged between 16 and 30 years (69.5%), single (51.9%), and uneducated (57.3%). More than half (51.9%) of the subjects who attempted suicide or self-harm were unemployed. There was a significant association between education level (c2 =13.149, P = 0.001) and age groups (c2 = 15.554, P = 0.001) with health outcomes (suicide or self-harm) only. Moreover, gender (c2 = 20.776, P = 0.004), marital status (c2 = 69.047, P < 0.001), level of education (c2 = 63.144, P < 0.001), age groups (c2 = 69.848, P < 0.001), and employment status (c2 = 28.677, P = 0.012) were also associated with the reasons of suicide and self-harm.

Conclusion: Our study concluded that mostly single, unemployed males with low literacy and with marital and family issues are determined as factors associated with a high risk of self-harm and suicide.

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