The role of personal and occupational factors on suicide and self-harm behavior of military personnel

Self-destructive behaviors like suicide and self-harm are considerably common among military personnel. These behaviors can have different causes and the purpose of present study is to investigate the role of personal and occupational factors in self-destructive behaviors. Two hundred and fifteen personnel of Islamic Republic of Iran army force were randomly selected and after filling out the informed consent form, completed questionnaires. The study questionnaires include Suicide Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R), Self-Harm Inventory (SHI), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Job Satisfaction Questionnaire and Job Stress Questionnaire. Results showed that income, work experience, rank and age have significant role in self-destructive behaviors, but marital status had no significant effect in these behaviors. Moreover, among the occupational factors, two component of job burnout (emotional exhaustion and depersonalization) and job stress were significantly predictors of suicide, although these factors had no significant role in prediction of self-harm. Personal and occupational factors have important role in self-destructive behaviors and it can be because of stresses and tensions in military environment and unable to cope with that condition.