Factors Related to Suicide Attempt in Iran: A systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Suicide is becoming a growing public health problem in Iran; however there is no surveillance system or strength reporting system on it. Therefore، combining recent relevant studies is important to detect related risk factors and to help public health decision making. The present study aimed to determine the social-related factors of suicide attempts using a descriptive meta-analysis method in Iran. All domestic scientific databases were searched using “Suicide” keyword. A search was also done using keywords of “Suicide AND Iran” in PubMed and Science direct databases. Searching time was limited to a period of the past twenty years until March 20، 2012. Overall، 2526 articles were retrieved through the initial search. Finally، 20 studies from 16 provinces were included for the analysis. Random effect model of Mantel-Haenzel، Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were employed to assess the cause of heterogeneity among the selected studies. Using 20 selected studies، frequency of family conflict as one of the most important causes of suicide attempts was 30 percent (95% CI=23-37). Other related factors were marriage problems (26%; 95% CI= 20-33)، economical constrains (12%; 95% CI= 8-15)، and educational failure (5%; 95% CI=3-8). None of the variables suspected to heterogeneity were significant. In Iran، family conflict was the most prevalent cause of suicide attempts within the past two decades. So، using effective interventions، and providing appropriate training programs tailored to each region''s culture، the incidence of suicide can be reduced in the community.