Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Abstract Introduction: Major thalassemia is a hereditary, chronic blood disease caused by the synthesis
deficiency of one or more polypeptide chains of globin during childhood. This leads to the rise of
blood pressure and family tensions. Therefore, the coping strategies of the family could seriously
affect and facilitate the thalassemic child’s healthy growth. The present research sought to investigate
the mental health and coping strategies of families with major thalassemic children in Bandar Abbas
in 2013. Materials and Methods: This study is of a descriptive‑analytical and cross‑sectional
type. Research population consisted of 140 parents of major thalassemic children who visited
Shahid Mohammadi Hospital of Bandar Abbas. The instruments used were the 12‑item General
Health Questionnaire of Goldberg and Williams along with the coping strategies questionnaire.
Nonprobabilistic, convenient sampling method was used. To analyze the data, Spearman’s
correlation coefficient, Chi‑square and descriptive statistical tests were used. The significance
level was set at P < 0.05. Results: Data analysis showed that parents’ mental health (32 ± 4.25)
along with their coping strategy scores (45 ± 7.50) was about the average. The most prevalent
coping strategies among the parents were represented as: “I trust in God in order to get my problems
solved” (87%), “to get mentally and spiritually relieved, I would visit mosques and holy shrines” (53%),
and “to overcome problems, I make harder attempts” (50.7%). A significant correlation was found
between the parents’ coping strategies and general health (P < 0.001). A significant correlation
was also observed between mother’s educational level (P = 0.044), age (P = 0.022) and general
health. Discussion and Conclusion: According to the results of this research, it is categorical for
the ministry of health and medical education and those in charge to pay special and adequate
attention to the social, spiritual, and mental health of these children and their families.

Abstract Introduction: Suicide is committed by a person himself or herself and whether conscious
or semiconscious it is aimed to end one`s life. This action is not committed inadvertently or
incongruously. However, it could be related to one`s unmet needs and feelings of despair. Studies
on the prevalence of suicide are related to environmental and seasonal circumstances. As there
are diverse populations in Bandar Abbas of different races due to its geographical position, and as
its weather condition is different from the other parts of country there is no study with this regard.
Hence, the aim of this research is to investigate the correlations between and among demographical
variables and suicide in different seasons of the year. Materials and Methods: This study is a
cross‑sectional one. Participants included 80 persons who had attempted suicide and were
hospitalized within 2011 in the Ebnesina Hospital of Bandar Abases, Iran. The variables under
investigation are the suicidal patients` demographic characteristics, where, when, and how the
person had committed suicide. All of these data were available in their profiles. These data were
analyzed by using the SSPS software. Results: The results showed that 45% of the suicidal
people were the young and adolescent. Also, 75.5% of these people were single and 22.5% of
them were married. Most suicides occurred in summer, which makes up 41.3% of all the suicidal
people. On the other hand 11.3% of the suicides were committed successfully and 88.7% of them
had been unsuccessful; 42.5% of suicidal people had used drugs and 38.8% of them had used
pesticides to commit suicide — 78.8% of these patients had psychotic disorders and 12.5% of
them suffered from mental disorders such as schizophrenia. Furthermore, a significant relationship
was found between seasons in which suicide was committed, marital status, age, mental illness,
and educational and occupational characteristics of suicidal patients. Conclusion: This study
showed that the most vulnerable people
committing suicide were from among the
young and adolescent. Singles had attempted
suicide more than the married. Most of suicide
attempters had used drugs to commit suicide.
Generally, in the current study, some variables
including season, marital status, age, history
of mental illnesses, and educational and
occupational variables were all associated
with committing suicide.