Suicide attempts among adults in Butajira, Ethiopia

In a cross-sectional survey, 10468 adults of a rural and semi-urban community were interviewed to determine lifetime suicide attempts. Among the study population, 58% were female, 74.4% were Muslim and 79.3% had had no formal education. The majority of the population were in the age group 25-59 years. Lifetime suicide attempt was reported by 3.2% (n=332) of the study population. Of these, 63% (n=208) were women. The most frequent age of attempt was between 15 and 24 years and the frequency of attempt decreased with increasing age. Hanging and poisoning were the most frequently reported methods of attempting suicide. Marital or family conflict was the most frequently reported cause for attempting suicide and most of those who reported this cause were women (Chi-square=17.42; P<0.001). Men were significantly more likely to use hanging to attempt suicide than women (Chi-square=8.21; P<0.001). Among Christians 3.9% had a lifetime suicide attempt compared to 2.9% among Muslims (Chi-square=6.15; P<0.05). People who currently had mental distress and problem drinking reported lifetime suicide attempt more often than others.