Relationship between Poverty, Domestic Violence and Suicide in Iran (Case Study: Rural Areas in Poldokhtar City)

For a few decades in the western areas in Iran, suicide is considered the main way to escape the bitter of life. Psychologists relate suicide to individual characteristics, but sociologists emphasize on social forces. The present study has been conducted using in-depth interviews with 53 people who committed suicide during 1984 to 2004 in rural villages in Poldokhtar City (Lorestan Province). The results show that among subjects, poverty and domestic violence has had the greatest effect on suicide. The findings indicate that poverty and violence in families, clearly have increased suicide rates throughout the region. Here, the main argument is that suicide is a function of how the individual battle against the socially assigned roles.