Prevalence of self- inflicted burn and the related factors in Iran:A systematic review

Abstract

Self- inflicted burn is one of the prevalent and grievous methods of suicide in Iran and encompasses different underlying reasons. Although several studies have been conducted to determine the prevalence and the underlying causes of self- inflicted burn in Iran, a large number of strong and weak points can be pointed out in these studies. As a consequence, there seems to be a need for a systematic review to determine the existing gaps and highlight the recommendations for any future studies. This study aims at determining the prevalence of self- inflicted burn and its underlying reasons among the population over 15 years old in Iran through a systematic review. Electronic and manual search methods were applied in order to search the resources. Eventually, only 24 out of 64 abstracts accessed fulfilled the inclusion criteria which were included in the systematic review. The results of the studies showed that self- inflicted burn lied among the main ways of suicide in Iran, and was responsible for 30- 70 percent of suicide mortality. Among all locations where studies were conducted, the highest rates of self- inflicted burn was reported in Masjed Soleiman district. Self- inflicted burn was more prevalent among individuals in the age range of 24.9- 27.2. Most of the attempters were female; these were mainly married housewives with low educational levels. Marital and family conflicts were the most frequently reported stressors. Inadequate information resources, the existing gaps in the conducted studies, and inconsistencies among the reported self- inflicted burn statistics can be noted as limitations of this study. On the other hand, most of the studies have been performed in the western part of the country where self- inflicted burn has a higher rate, a fact that reminds us that their results can not be generalized. To date, the reasons for the higher prevalence of this method of suicide in this part of the country has remained unclear.Conclusion: Precise assessment of prevalence of mental disorders among this group is one of the existing gaps in the literature.