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Epidemiology and socio-demographic risk factors of self-immolation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Authors :
Parvareh M
Hajizadeh M
Rezaei S
Nouri B
Moradi G
Esmail Nasab N
Source :
Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries [Burns] 2018 Jun; Vol. 44 (4), pp. 767-775. Date of Electronic Publication: 2017 Oct 09.
Publication Year :
2018

Abstract

Objective: Self-immolation or self-inflicted burn is the most tragic and violent method of suicide. The higher prevalence of this dramatic phenomenon in Iran is a serious social and health problem. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis to combine the results from available studies to examine the epidemiology and socio-demographic characteristics of individuals who attempted self-immolation in Iran.<br />Method: Pertinent studies were identified by searching the electronic bibliographic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Iran Medex, Magiran, Medlib and Scientific Information Database (SID) (2000-October 2016). Meta-analysis was used to summarize the research results on socio-demographic risk factors of self-immolation in Iran. The STROBE checklist was used to assess quality of the study. The random effect model was employed in the meta-analysis to account for the observed heterogeneity among the selected studies.<br />Results: Twenty-nine studies (sample size=5717) were included in the meta-analysis. The estimated average age of individuals who attempted self-immolation was 27.31 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 25.81-28.81) years. Women account for 70% (95% CI: 64-77) of all self-immolation attempts in Iran. Thirty-nine (95% CI: 34-43) per cent of all self-immolation were among singles. Nineteen (95% CI: 16-22) per cent of self-immolators had mental disorder. Meta-regression model showed that the average age of individuals who attempted self-immolation increased significantly over the period between 2000 to 2016 (P-value=0.006).<br />Conclusions: Our study indicated that individuals who attempted self-immolation in Iran were mainly women, married and young adults.<br /> (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1879-1409
Volume :
44
Issue :
4
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
29032973
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2017.08.013