Tehran University of Medical Sciences Acta Medica Iranica 0044-6025 56 5 2018 05 20 314 319 EN Mustafa Al-Shamsi Department of Public Health, Iraqi Ministry of Health, Basra, Iraq. Nasih Othman Kurdistan Institution for Strategic Studies and Scientific Research, Sulaimaniyah, Iraq. 2017 10 27 2017 12 19 Suicide by self-burning remains a common method of suicide amongst women in Iraq and some neighboring countries. This study aimed to describe the problem of self-burning in Basra province and investigate the associated factors. A prospective study was undertaken between October 2016 and May 2017 in Al-Fayhaa Burn Center. Data were collected from all patients admitted to the center for a self-inflicted burn. Sociodemographic information and cause of suicide were obtained using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, and clinical data were transcribed from hospital records. There were 62 cases (females 74%, males 26%) of self-burning during the 6 months data collection accounting for 22% of all burn admission. The age ranged from 9-56 years (mean 25.3, SD 10.8 year). The vast majority had no or only basic education (92%), 55% were married, 60% were from outside Basra city and 53% considered themselves from a poor socioeconomic background. The incident mostly occurred at home (84%) while the person was alone (91%) using kerosene as the burning material (82%). The total burn surface area ranged from 20-100% with a median of 80% (IQR 60-95). The median hospital stay was 5 days (IQR 1-12 days). In-hospital mortality rate was 72.6%. Suicide by self-burning seems not to be uncommon in Basra and require more attention from public health and social services. More research is required to provide a better estimation of the problem and in-depth understanding of the factors that contribute to the problem. https://acta.tums.ac.ir/index.php/acta/article/view/6804 https://acta.tums.ac.ir/index.php/acta/article/download/6804/5090