COMPARISON OF PERSONALITY TRAITS, SOCIAL SUPPORT, AND RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION IN SUICIDE ATTEMPTER AND CONTROL GROUP

Understanding risk factors for suicide attempts is important in preventing
suicidal behavior. This study aimed to compare personality traits, social support, and religious
orientation in suicide attempters and control group.
Materials & Methods: In a case-control study, 120 suiside attempeters who referred to Shahid Madani
hospital of Azarshahr town were compared with 140 control. They were selected using conveniennce
sampling, and were matched by a number of demographic factors. Data were gathered using NEO
Personality Inventory Revised (NEO-PI-R), sucial support scale and religious orientation, and were
analyzed via logistic regression and T-test.
Results: Finding showed that suicide attempters revealed higher scores onneuroticism and lower
scores on extraversion and conscientiousness compared with non-attempers. On the other hand, the
experinced weak social support had external religious orientation. Also, logistic regression analyses
demonstrated that suicide attempt was positively predicted by neuroticism, and negatively predicted
by agreeableness, openness, family support, and friends’ support, and 27% of the variance related to
suicide attempt is predicted by these variables.
Conclusion: Personality traits, social support and religious orientation are considered as important risk
factors for suicide attempt