Characteristics of Patients Presenting with Deliberate Self-harm to the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman

Abstract

Background: Deliberate self-harm (DSH) is an increasingly prevalent public health concern, particularly in adolescents and young adults. There is a dearth of recent studies that focus on DSH in countries in the Arab-Islamic world, such as Oman, which is undergoing rapid urbanization and modernization. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients presenting with DSH at a single tertiary center in Muscat, Oman. Patients and Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted among patients aged ≥ 10 years clinically diagnosed with non-suicidal DSH at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital between January 2019 and December 2021. Patients' electronic medical records were used to collect information on patients' demographics (gender, age, employment, educational, and marital status) and clinical characteristics (psychological comorbidity, method, frequency, and triggers of DSH). Descriptive and univariate analyses using the Pearson chi-squared test were performed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software program. Results: A total of 98 patients were diagnosed with DSH during the study period, of whom 17 (17.3%) were male and 81 (82.7%) were female. Most patients were aged 10 - 25 years (61.2%), single (66.3%), and were students either in college (27.6%) or school (24.5%). The majority (62.2%) had mental health comorbidities, with psychotic disorders (27.6%) being the most common, followed by major depressive disorder (24.5%). The majority of DSH acts (88.9%) were impulsive in nature and not premeditated. Social stress was reported to be the most common trigger for DSH (41.8%), with the most common method being drug overdoses (58.2%). Overall, drug overdoses were slightly more common among patients aged < 40 years (60.9%; P = 0.067) and female patients (63.0%; P = 0.067), while self-cutting more frequently occurred among patients aged > 40 years (54.5%; P = 0.070) and male patients (47.1%; P = 0.080); however, these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions: This study found that DSH was more frequent in young, single female students with comorbid mental disorders. Healthcare providers should be cognizant of the increased likelihood of DSH in this patient group and, therefore, screen and refer at-risk patients and those suspected of DSH for appropriate psychological support and counseling.