ABSTRACT
Objective
As poisoning is most often used method of attempted suicide and data on this topic are scarce in Brazil, we investigated possible indicators of risk for this type of attempt.
Methods
A case-control study was conducted at the emergency ward of a public hospital in the city of Recife (Brazil) with 220 individuals divided into two groups, each with 110 participants. The case group comprised survivors of attempted suicide by poisoning. The control group was composed of individuals with no history of attempted suicide matched for gender and age.
Results
The female gender predominated (70.9%). Mean age was 29 years. Self-described skin color was either white or brown among 73%. Less than half lived with a stable partner. The majority had religion and both groups had a low level of schooling. A significant difference between groups was found regarding financial dependence (p = 0.003), the chance of dependence 2.25-fold greater in the case group. The case group reported significantly higher rates of having experienced traumatic events or sexual abuse in childhood.
Conclusions
Being financially dependent on others, having suffered sexual abuse in childhood, having suicidal ideation, a family history of mental disorders and having psychiatric comorbidities were considered indicators of risk in the case group. The regression model demonstrated up to a 94.0% greater chance of attempted suicide by poisoning in the joint presence of four factors. This study is among the first initiatives to broaden the discussion on risk factors for attempted suicide on the national level.
Attempted suicide; poisoning; intoxication; risk factors