Risk factors of suicide and their implications to prevention: a study of suicide cases reported in Iloilo City Police Office and Iloilo Provincial Police Office

Abstract

The study was conducted to explore the risk factors of suicide and their implications for prevention among cases reported per records of the Iloilo City Police Office and the Iloilo Provincial Police Office. Specifically, this study tried to determine completed suicide incidents in the city and province of Iloilo for the years 2010 to 2015. It also tried to determine the occurrence of suicide in terms of age, sex, civil status, employment status, and location of residence of the victims. Moreover, it also tried to determine the incidence of completed suicide in terms of circumstances surrounding the suicide incident, suicidal indicators, precipitating factors, and risk factors. The perusal of police records for the years included was done by the researcher and pertinent data was lifted from the records. Analysis of data employed the use of descriptive statistical tools. Results revealed that there were 78 completed suicide incidents in Iloilo during the years 2010-2014 many of which happened during the month of March, with the incidence of suicide increasing through the years. Completed suicides happened mostly in rural areas among single, unemployed, male, young adults. Completed suicide usually occurred from sunrise to midday in the victim’s residence. Suicide communication, through suicide notes or suicide ideation, was the topmost suicidality observed among the victims. Many of the completed suicides were triggered by relationship problems either with families or with spouses, many of whom had a history of mental illness as a risk factor. Hanging was the method of suicide used by the majority of the victims. Recommendations, among others, were to develop a reporting system for suicide to include all precipitating events and suicidality in order to get a fuller grasp of the interplay of factors that lead to suicide as well as the development of universal and selective strategies for the prevention of suicide.