Personality Traits among Psychiatric Out-patients with Suicide Attempt Attending Tertiary Care Hospital in Eastern Nepal

Abstract

Background-Suicide attempt is a self-injurious behaviour with a nonfatal outcome. Studies report increasing hospital admissions due to self-inflicted harm (SIH) as well as a higher likelihood of associated psychosocial factors in SIH cases. We conducted a study to explore personality traits, socio-demographic profiles and psychiatric disorders among the suicide attempt cases in a tertiary care hospital setting of eastern Nepal.Methods-It was a descriptive study conducted with purposive sampling in a tertiary care hospital among suicide attempt cases who visited to out-patient department of psychiatry. A total of 113 cases (calculated sample size) were enrolled after written informed consent within study period of 1 year. Personality traits were analyzed by using ‘Personality Trait Inventory’ questionnaire. Psychiatric diagnosis was made as per the ICD-10 diagnostic criteria. Demographic variables were recorded in a semi-structured proforma.Results-Majority of the subjects were female, married and literate, with the most common age group being 20–29 and < 20 years. Most of them were Hindu, from low socioeconomic status, joint family and cities, and were homemakers. Poisoning was the most common mode of suicide attempt and organo-phosphorous compounds the most common poison used. Some (13.3%) had past and 5.3% had family history of suicidal attempt. Most cases 63 (55.8%) were referred from Departments of Internal Medicine, followed by Emergency 28 (24.8%), self 18 (15.9%) and Paediatrics 4 (3.5%). The common ICD-10 psychiatric diagnoses were: Substance use disorder, main being alcohol (42%), Adjustment (34%) and mood disorders (22%). Emotional instability trait was the most common Personality Trait 70 (61.9%), followed by Depressive tendency 46 (40.7%). Personality disorder was present in 34%; most common being Emotionally unstable personality disorder.Conclusions-Emotional instability trait was found in the highest number of suicide attempt patients.

Cross‐cultural adaptation of Nepalese literacy and stigma of suicide scales (LOSS‐SF‐Nep and SOSS‐SF‐Nep) among Nepalese medical and nursing students

“…Previous Nepalese studies report lack of education and poverty being associated with suicidal ideation (Garrison‐Desany et al., 2020 ; Hagaman et al., 2018 ) but current study showed the suicidality in 22% of well‐educated medical students from upper‐middle socioeconomic background. The possible causes of high prevalent suicidal ideation among medical students could be substance use, relationship issues, violence, and singlehood as found in eastern Nepal (Bhattachan et al., 2021 ). As our samples were biased for education, this finding needs further validation.…”

“…Attitudes toward suicide and literacy have been studied locally but with scales in English (Shah et al., 2022 ; Thapa et al., 2021 ). There are two scales, namely, literacy of suicide scale (LOSS) and Stigma of Suicide Scale (SOSS) that have been validated cross‐culturally in Australia, China, Turkey, Middle East, and Bangladesh (Al‐Shannaq & Aldalaykeh, 2021 ; Arafat et al., 2022 ; Batterham et al., 2013b , 2021 ; Calear et al., 2012 ; Chan et al., 2014 ; Han et al., 2017 ). Therefore, we aimed to adapt and psychometrically validate the LOSS‐short form (LOSS‐SF) and SOSS‐short form (SOSS‐SF) in Nepali and subsequently assess the level of stigma and literacy of suicide among the medical students of Nepal.…”