• Alireza Ahmadi, Reza Mohammadi, Afshin Almasi, Javad Amini-Saman, Homayoun Sadeghi-Bazargani, Shahrzad Bazargan-Hejazi, and Leif Svanström.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Management, Imam Reza Hospital, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran; Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Social Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: ahmadiar1012@yhaoo.com.
• Burns. 2015 Mar 1;41(2):386-93.

AbstractSelf-immolation is the third leading cause of years of life lost (YLL) among women in Iran. The aim of this study is to investigate self-immolation-related risk and protective factors in the western region of Iran, a province with the highest prevalent of self-immolation in the country. Using a case-control design, we compared 151 cases of self-immolation attempters who were admitted to a burn center in Kermanshah with 302-matched control group from the same community/locality between March 21st, 2009, and March 20th, 2012. We conducted descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analysis to examine the associations of self-immolation with demographic and familial risk factors, adverse life events, mental disorders, as well as potential protective factors. According to our findings, the highest percentage of self-immolation was in the 16-25 year-old age group (60%) and in females (76%). Of the potential risk factors in the study, major depression, adjustment disorders, individual history of suicide attempts and opium dependence, were statistically significant predictors of self-immolation. Suggestions for translating the local picture of self-immolation portrayed by our findings, into meaningful prevention strategies that have a good fit with the social and interpersonal context within which self-immolation takes place are discussed.Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

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