مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رسانی علوم و فناوری پژوهش انحرافات و مسائل اجتماعی 3060-821X 5 18 2026 7 15 From Resistance to Breakdown: The Lived Experience of Ilami Women Prior to Suicide Attempt از مقاومت تا فروپاشی: تجربۀ زیستۀ زنان ایلامی پیش از اقدام به خودکشی 163 194 fa علی فیض اللهی دانشگاه ایلام خلیل کمربیگی سازمان مدیریت و برنامه ریزی استان ایلام 2026 2 9 From Resistance to Breakdown: The Lived Experience of Ilami Women Prior to Suicide Attempt   Ali Feizolahi<a href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1">*</a> Khalil Kamarbeigi<a href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2">**</a>   The present study tends to develop an understanding of the processes of resistance to and failure preceding suicide, as well as the reasons for suicidal behavior among the women who attempted suicide in Ilam Province. This research was conducted using an interpretive phenomenological approach. The target population consisted of women who attempted suicide in Ilam Province in the year 2025, from whom a purposive sample of 17 participants were selected. Data was collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, and sampling and interviews continued until data saturation was achieved. Data analysis and coding were carried out using thematic analysis based on the Attride–Stirling approach. The most significant reasons for suicide attempts in the studied sample can be conceptualized under the theme of incompatibility of institutional contexts, which includes the organizing themes of family disorder, non-normative marriage patterns, the concurrence of marital problems, inappropriate interactional contexts, and livelihood-related challenges. The findings also indicate that the women who attempted suicide actively sought to avoid suicide by attempting to resolve their problems; these actions can be categorized into two broad sets of organizing themes: normative and non-normative solutions. Because these forms of action were not always accompanied by success, women turned toward self-destructive and suicidal behaviors, which can be understood as the product of a kind of breakdown. Overall, the findings of the study indicate that suicidal behavior was not the first option chosen by women at risk of suicide; rather, it was to a large extent the consequence of the lack of success or failure in realizing their problem-solving actions. Keywords: Suicidal behavior; pre-suicide resistance; breakdown; women’s suicide; Ilam Province.   Introduction Suicide is one of the most serious social problems worldwide and a permanent and challenging threat to public health in modern societies, and current societies will potentially continue to face it. Because currently, on average, “727,000 persons die by suicide every year, and a much larger number attempt suicide. Such that in 2021 alone, the global suicide rate was 9.1 per 100,000 people (World Health Organization, 2021). In addition, about 50 to 120 million people are deeply affected by suicide and suicide attempts every year (Beautrais, 2006: 55). Although the suicide rate in Iran is about 5 per 100,000 people, which is considered low compared to the global rate of “more than 16 per 100,000 people” (Abdu et al., 2020: 233), high suicide rates have been recorded in some provinces of Iran. For example, the suicide rate in Ilam province is 13.8, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad is 13.7, and Kermanshah is 12.08 per 100,000 people (National Statistical Yearbook, 2020). Of course, Ilam province has always been one of the provinces with high rates of female suicide since the 1990s. This trend continued in the years 2022 to 2024 with a “suicide rate of 18.3 per 100,000 people” (Ilam Provincial Management and Planning Organization, 2025). It seems that the relatively high pattern of suicide attempts among women in Ilam province cannot be reduced to individual factors alone, but rather should be analyzed in the context of structural and cultural developments in the local society. Because in recent decades, in parallel with the above issues, the biosocial patterns of women, especially young girls, in this province have also diversified. Their level of awareness and expectations for social presence and participation have increased, and at the same time, traditional patterns of control and supervision over them in the family and society are still prominent. These structural asynchronies have provided the basis for the formation of various types of tension and perceived inequality in the life world of Ilami women. The accumulation of such problems, along with the dual position of women, especially young girls, between a tendency towards social activism and the obligation to adhere to traditional norms, can lead to psychological harm and behaviors such as violence against themselves (suicide) among them. The continued erosion of women's social status relative to men has become almost commonplace, accompanied by fundamental contradictions. In general, the analysis of the fields, study methods, and results of previous research shows that these studies have focused on multiple and outspread areas. Although these studies have valuable concepts and explanations for the present study, due to their focus on the causes of suicide and the mere narrative of suicidal women, they have paid less attention to survival strategies and women's efforts to avoid suicide. Therefore, in order to avoid subjugation and passive perception of the aforementioned actors, the present study has also paid attention to the process of suicide-avoidance actions of the studied women in addition to paying attention to the reasons for suicide. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the processes of avoiding suicidal behavior and the reasons for their failure in this regard. The main question of the research is what are the reasons for the suicide attempts of the studied women and what types of actions did they take to solve the problem before committing suicide?   Methodology The present study is a qualitative study and was conducted using the interpretive phenomenological method. The target population of the study is women with a history of suicide attempts and residents of Ilam province, and the research sample was selected using the purposive sampling method. Accordingly, the information in this study is the product of semi-structured interviews with 17 women with a history of suicide attempts. In this regard, the in-depth interview method was used to deepen the study and freely present narratives by the study subjects. Data coding was implemented using the theme analysis technique. The identification and final analysis of themes is based on the Attride-Stirling theme network analysis method, which includes basic themes, which are the first and lowest abstracted evidence in the text, which consist of codes and primary concepts extracted from the text. In fact, they are simple propositions that are the basis for higher-level abstraction; Organizing themes are grouped by combining several basic themes to summarize more abstract principles and are therefore more abstract, meaningful, and explicit than the concepts hidden in the text. Each cluster of organizing themes is used to a higher level of abstraction through meaningful connections with each other, which encompass the main metaphors of the entire text and form overarching themes (Attride-Stirling, 2001: 388). The criterion used to examine validity in this study is the criterion of acceptability, which is based on the acceptability of the researcher and his/her full involvement with the data. Verifiability has been achieved through the continuous presence of researchers in the research field.   Findings After open coding the interview transcripts of the research participants, the meaningful phrases and extracted concepts were categorized into subthemes and main themes of the research. As can be seen from the content of the phrases and the narrative of the lived experiences of the research participants, they emphasized concepts that addressed the reasons for their repeated refusal to and ultimately attempted suicide. <ol style="text-align: left;"> <li> The overarching theme of the incompatibility of institutional contexts</li> </ol> This theme indicates the incompatibility of social institutions that regulate the collective life of members of society, especially the most fundamental social institution that shapes the lives of individuals, namely the family institution and institutions such as marriage, the marital system, and the social environment (group of friends, etc.) along with the institution that provides material comfort for life, namely the economy, the intersection of which has led to the formation of a crisis-ridden and chaotic family. <ol style="text-align: left;"> <li> 1. Family Disturbance</li> </ol> In this study, the concept of family disorder refers to a situation in which interactions between family members are accompanied by disruptive behaviors such as domestic violence, excessive control, and restrictiveness.   <ol style="text-align: left;"> <li> 2. Non-standardization of marriage</li> </ol> Marriage is one of the social institutions whose formality in different societies is subject to compliance with legal rules and public announcement. <ol style="text-align: left;"> <li> 3. Concurrence of marital problems</li> </ol> The organizing theme of the concurrence of marital problems refers to a situation in which the spouse's specific behaviors or situations lead to challenges in marital life. <ol style="text-align: left;"> <li> 4. The organizing theme of the inappropriate interaction context refers to the internal conditions of the family and social contexts that affect the social actions and mental health of women.</li> <li> 5. The organizing theme of livelihood challenges</li> </ol> A livelihood challenge means that the family's livelihood conditions are in a crisis that makes it impossible to imagine getting out of the cycle of poverty and financial problems, and is accompanied by a kind of despair that leads to the emergence of abnormal behaviors. <ol style="text-align: left;" start="2"> <li> The overarching theme of problem-solving actions</li> </ol> This theme can be discussed under the heading of resistance strategies and strategies that the women studied, in order to preserve their family life or improve their personal lives as reasonable and reflective actors with the intention of resolving an unpleasant situation, first resorted to problem-solving actions and in some cases were successful or unsuccessful <ol style="text-align: left;" start="2"> <li> 1. The organizing theme of seeking a normative solution</li> </ol> This theme focuses on the three strategies of seeking help, seeking treatment, and cooperative actions such as assistance and support with family by women at risk, whose personal efforts reflect normative and proactive activism in order to rebuild and optimize their conditions and continue their lives, even if they are difficult, which shows that a large part of the women studied were not necessarily their first choice to commit suicide. <ol style="text-align: left;" start="2"> <li> 2. The organizing theme of seeking an abnormal solution</li> </ol> The theme of seeking an abnormal solution refers to actions that lack a minimum of legitimate, normative, and reasonable criteria for solving the problem and that instead of solving the problem, add to the complexity and difficulty of the situation. <ol style="text-align: left;" start="3"> <li> The Overarching Theme of Collapse</li> </ol> When a person's problem-solving actions are not successful or the person is under so much pressure from within and without that they view suicide as a way to escape from problems, the process of collapse can be called collapse. <ol style="text-align: left;" start="3"> <li> 1. The organizing theme of self-destructive actions refers to the physical and psycho-emotional injuries resulting from negative experiences that the person has faced throughout their life. The harassment and failures that drive the person to commit self-destructive and suicidal behaviors.</li> <li> 2. The organizing theme of a suicide attempt</li> </ol> The theme of a suicide attempt is a suicidal act resulting from a person's practical decision to die, which for some reason was not successful.   Discussion and Conclusion The final and central finding of this study, in particular, shows that the women studied have made great efforts to overcome problems and avoid suicide. We have categorized this resistance or avoidance of suicide attempts into two categories: normative and abnormal problem-solving actions, the first of which indicates an active approach to dealing with the crisis. These types of actions have been on the path to improving the situation or adapting to the current state of life. The main goal of these actions has been to solve the problem and avoid the collapse of life. The second category, or abnormal problem-solving actions, has been both an attempt to regain what the individual has lost in the process of social interactions and can also indicate an inability to adapt to life pressures. Ignoring or disobeying family expectations and demands may indicate emotional isolation or an attempt to cut off contact with a source that the individual considers harmful. Because when a person fails to respond appropriately to life crises or is unable to find solutions to practical life problems, one of the possible choices he or she may make is suicidal behavior. In other words, this type of self-destructive behavior can be considered a reflection of the failure or failure to realize problem-solving actions. 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(2015) Suicide in women (Review Article). Indian Psychiatry,57: 233-238. World Health Organisation. (2021) Suicide rates.  <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide">https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide</a>     <a href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1">*</a> Corresponding Author: Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Humanity Sciences, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran.  <a href="mailto:a.feizolahi@ilamac.ir">a.feizolahi@ilamac.ir</a> <a href="http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1641-4289">http://orcid.org/</a> 0000-0002-1641-4289 <a href="#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2">**</a> Ph.D. Student of Sociology, Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies. Tehran, Iran. <a href="mailto:khkamarbeigi@gmail.com">khkamarbeigi@gmail.com</a>  <a href="http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7407-6102">http://orcid.org/</a> 0000-0001-7407-6102 مطالعۀ حاضر تلاش دارد تا به شناختی از فرآیند مقاومت و شکست پیشاخودکشی و دلایل رفتار خودکشانه در بین زنان مورد مطالعۀ اقدام&zwnj;کننده به خودکشی در استان ایلام دست یابد. این پژوهش با استفاده از روش پدیدارشناسی تفسیری انجام شده است. جامعۀ هدف پژوهش، زنانی هستند که در سال 1403 در استان ایلام اقدام به خودکشی نموده&zwnj;اند و از طریق نمونه&zwnj;گیری هدفمند، نمونه&zwnj;&zwnj;ای 17 نفره از آنان انتخاب شده &zwnj;است. داده&zwnj;ها با استفاده از تکنیک مصاحبۀ عمیق و نیمه&zwnj;&zwnj;ساختاریافته گردآوری شده&zwnj; و تا زمان رسیدن به اشباع، نمونه&zwnj;گیری و انجام مصاحبه ادامه یافته &zwnj;است. برای تحلیل و کدگذاری داده&zwnj;ها از روش تحلیل مضمون به شیوه آترید- استرلینک استفاده شده است. مهم&zwnj;ترین دلایل اقدام به خودکشی در نمونۀ مورد مطالعه را می&zwnj;توان ذیل ناسازوارگی بسترهای نهادی نام&zwnj;گذاری نمود که مشتمل بر مضامین سازمان&zwnj;دهندۀ آشفتگی خانوادگی، نامعیارمندی ازدواج، هم&zwnj;آیندی مشکلات زناشویی، بستر تعاملی نامناسب و چالش&zwnj;های معیشتی است. همچنین یافته&zwnj;های پژوهش بیانگر آن است که زنان خودکش به منظور خودکشی &zwnj;پرهیزی، فعالانه در جست&zwnj;وجوی گره&zwnj;گشایی از مسائل خویش بوده&zwnj;اند که این کنش&zwnj;ها ذیل دو دستۀ کلی مضامین سازمان&zwnj;دهندۀ راه&zwnj;حل&zwnj;های هنجارمند &zwnj;و ناهنجارمند قابل دسته&zwnj;بندی است. به دلیل اینکه اینگونه کردارها همیشه با موفقیت قرین نبوده&zwnj;اند، از اینرو زنان به سوی خودتخریب&zwnj;گری و رفتار خودکشانه روی آورده&zwnj;اند که می&zwnj;توان آن را محصول نوعی فروپاشی دانست. به&zwnj; طور کلی نتایج تحقیق نشان می&zwnj;دهد که رفتار خودکشانه اولین گزینۀ انتخابی زنان در معرض خطر خودکشی نبوده &zwnj;است، بلکه تاحدود زیادی پیامد عدم توفیق یا شکست در تحقق کنش&zwnj;های حل مسئله&zwnj;ای آنان بوده &zwnj;است.

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