Demographic And Psychosocial Risk Factors Relevant In Completed Suicides In The Region Of Eskisehir, Turkey

Aims: To identify the demographic and psychosocial characteristics of people who committed suicide by sex and age factors. Methods: This study recruited 154 cases who had committed suicide between 1997 and 2001. Our cases were scanned retrospectively from the files of the Central Administration of Justice in Eskisehir The data collected were evaluated using chisquare (x) test and percent ratios. Results: The suicide rate for men was higher than that for women (68.8% vs. 31.2%, respectively). The contributing factors of economic problems and/or unemployment, as well as a history of alcohol abuse as reasons for suicide were reported more in men than in women (57.5% vs. 14.6% and 29.2% vs. 2.1%, respectively, p<0.001, each), whereas not actively working outside the home was reported more in women than men (89.5% vs. 60.4%, p<0.001). Conclusions: Future studies need to focus on regional demographic data and psychosocial risk factors in order to decrease and prevent the important public health problem of suicide. Such studies would attribute to the solution of the problem. The name of the department and institution or hospital where the work was done: Osmangazi University, Psychiatry Department, Community Psychiatry Division, 26480 Eskisehir, Turkey